Following After
by S.V Random
Summary: History repeats itself. What better way to learn it than to trace the footsteps of the past? And if you stumble on the way... well everyone needs an adventure don't they Dad?
1. Overcoming Greif

"You're leaving again aren't you?" There was no accusation in her voice this time, not like there had been in the past. Of course he was going, he always did the moment they called. So she knew she should have expected it. Still she couldn't help hating it a little as well.

"It's important." He shrugged one shoulder and started toward the door, "Besides it won't take too long…" He might not have meant it as a lie, but they both knew it was. Whatever they wanted him for it would take a long time, he would come back covered with bruises and cuts and just when she started to think it might be over, they might be normal for just a little while something else would come up and he would be gone again.

"You should take a coat… it's raining." She watched the little beads of water roll down the window through his reflection, then blinking his image into focus took a second to examine the young man approaching the door. His slicked back hair wouldn't stay that way long in the rain, a few strands had already fallen into his brown eyes. He glanced at her quickly as he started to open the door. "And Yusuke…" She added suddenly, forcing herself to turn to him even though she didn't want to, "I'll miss you." The next words stuck in her throat, digging in to keep from being said. She didn't want to do this, but knew she had to, had known for a very long time now. Knowing that didn't make it any easier, everything in her screamed at her to stop there, to let it go, but the honest part of her, the realistic part deep inside knew she couldn't do this anymore, that things had changed.

Why did he have to smile at her like that? In her head she was screaming at him to stop, not to look at her with those big suddenly soft brown eyes, and before he could speak she made herself finish. "But I won't be here when you get back."

In the heartbreaking moment of silence that followed his eyes went from stunned to pained and she prayed that he wouldn't say anything. That he would just turn and walk out the door without a word. She knew it wouldn't be that easy when he fixed that half hearted grin on his face. "Come on Keiko, it won't be that long." At least he wasn't pretending he didn't understand that she was just going on a trip or something. Idly she wondered how long he'd known this was coming. When she didn't respond he continued on more hurriedly, "Look I know its bad timing and it's been a lot lately, but just give me a couple days and when I get back I'll make it up to you." Again she was silent, but when he flashed that smile she'd adored for so long Keiko couldn't help smiling back, "I've got to go, but I'll see you in a few days, I promise."

She waited until the door closed behind him to turn back to the window. "No you won't." She whispered, watching the dark haired figure vanish into the rain soaked streets for the last time. This time she was the one who had to go. Not because she wanted to. She longed to stay, but she couldn't ask Yusuke to stop doing what had made him who he was, what had saved her and the world countless times. Spirit world would always need him, would always call and Yusuke would always go to save them all. Keiko had lived with that knowledge for years, had accepted it and loved him all the more for it. And just as much as she couldn't ask Yusuke to stop she couldn't make the tiny person just starting to exist inside of her to live this lifestyle of worry and uncertainty. He hadn't stayed, hadn't looked back and Keiko wouldn't either… she couldn't let herself. "I can't keep going through this…"

XXX

He sighed and settled back into the chair, wondering when his mother and grandparents would climb out of the wooden things he'd heard the adults call coffins so they could go home. They'd been here for hours now; he was tired and didn't like the suit his other grandma had forced him into. It was tight and hot. And how did they know his mom was in one of those coffin things anyway? If she was and knew he was here she wouldn't have kept him waiting so long, not since he hadn't seen her for days now. Since the big truck had hit their car. He hadn't even been able to show her the blue cast the doctor at the hospital had put on his arm. He'd been waiting since his grandma Atsuko, at least she said she was his grandmother; he'd never seen her before a few days ago, had shown up and taken him to her house. She seemed nice, but he was ready to go home.

His arm hurt, and the cast was itchy even if it was a cool color. And they'd been playing the "funeral" game long enough that it was boring. What kind of game did you play by just sitting down and keeping quiet? No one had even told him the rest of the rules. How was he going to win if he didn't know how?

"Come on Kazuki, we can go now." The five year old blinked up at his grandmother. Did that mean they'd won? Or had he done something wrong and they'd lost? He didn't want to ask, it might be breaking the rules no one had told him.

"Is mom coming with us?" He asked finally as he jogged to keep up with the much taller woman leading him toward the door.

"No Kazuki, Keiko won't be coming with us."

He must have lost then. Maybe someone would tell him the rules and he could win his mother back next time.


	2. Setting the trap

"Yusuke…! Wake up Yusuke! Please you can't leave me again!"

Drunk again; Kazuki Urameshi realized as his grandmother finally shook him fully awake. Of course she was most of the time, but Grandma Atsuko only talked about Yusuke, only called him Yusuke when she'd been seriously drinking. "I'm not Yusuke Grandma…" He murmured, gingerly peeling the woman's hands away from his shirt, "I'm Kazuki remember."

She blinked at him, her cloudy eyes misting over. "That's right…" Atsuko murmured, "Don't worry Kazuki, he'll come back. Yusuke always comes back." She climbed unsteadily back to her feet and wobbled away across the room.

"Sure he does." Scoffing Kazuki slumped back down into his bed staring at the ceiling. For almost ten years now he'd been listening to that. At first he'd believed it, had even sat around waiting. Eventually he'd learned to ignore his grandmother's alcohol induced rambling; and had accepted that Yusuke Urameshi wasn't coming back any more than Keiko Yukimura or her parents were. He laid there for a long time staring at the obnoxiously green ceiling and walls, more than once he'd considered repainting the room, but it turned out that would be a lot more work than he was willing to put into the whole thing.

Well that was enough griping at the walls. Kazuki pushed himself up, running his fingers into his black hair he shoved the strands away from his tanned skin and brown eyes, letting it fall back into place once his gaze found the only slightly wrinkled blue uniform. If she'd been drinking at least she wouldn't be on his back about going to school. Not that her complaining ever did that much good, sure he went sometimes to shut her up, but only rarely. Maybe he would go today anyway. Hovering in indecision he glanced several times between his uniform and the jeans and t-shirt piled next to it.

Eventually he settled on the uniform and a long annoying day of school. A decision that in the end had a lot less to do with the week of classes he'd already missed and a lot more to do with a cute redhead who's latest suspension would be over today. He might as well be there to welcome her back. So Kazuki was actually smiling a little to himself as he started down the street, hoping to run into her in front of the school.

Sayuri, a girl with the most shockingly red hair and green eyes he had ever seen, had transferred to Sarayashiki junior high a little over five months ago and brought a cloud of rumors about why, ranging from something as simple as a move to every possible reason she might have been expelled from her last school. She still hadn't told him which was the truth, but since she got into nearly as much trouble as he did Kazuki was pretty sure she'd been expelled. Her father had probably sent her to his school because it had a reputation for dealing with troublemakers and was practically impossible to get expelled from.

He heard them before he saw them, one of the groups of local adults playing at being tough street thugs; bothering some school girl from the sound of things. "Pretty thing like you don't you have a boyfriend to walk you to school sweetheart? Be nice and I might consider standing in… take you somewhere and show you a real good time…" It was only when she moved away from the wall she'd been leaning against to go around them that he realized it was the girl he'd been so preoccupied with thinking about most of the morning.

"Somehow I doubt you'd be up to it." She answered with a look of such innocence that it had to be fake as she slipped between two of them.

"Yeah…? How about I prove it…" The leader caught her shoulder and Kazuki found himself hurrying forward as the trio closed in on her.

"Get away!" The order was punctuated by her fist colliding with man's face. Kazuki stopped and smiled as the group's obvious leader was knocked back into the wall and slid to the ground, his lackeys jumping back with wide eyes. One of the other things he'd come to appreciate about Sayuri Minamino; she could throw one hell of a right hook. Tossing her long braid of scarlet hair back over one shoulder and rolling her bright green eyes she turned away from the group and started toward him.

"Hey Sayuri, been a while." At less than an inch shorter than his own five feet eight inches she was several inches taller than most of the girls at school, those extra inches seemed to be located in her long legs, which were accentuated by the fact that she had altered her uniform skirt to hang at her mid thighs rather than her knees. The sailor shirt she was supposed to wear had been turned into a coat that she wore over a white t-shirt and as usual the yellow scarf that was meant to be tied around her shoulders was knotted around her waist. If he hadn't like blue Kazuki wouldn't have worn the uniform at all, but while Sayuri claimed to hate the thing she'd altered it enough that it was still technically within the limits of the dress code so school officials couldn't do much about it when she actually was at school. "Looking forward to a long day of hitting the books?" he teased.

Red wisps of hair fell into her eyes as she stopped the usual mischievous glint there as well when she smiled. "Actually, I was thinking of visiting the arcade… it's been a while since I've been there too." Her smile faded as she stepped past him, the end of her braid swinging around her shoulders as she walked, "Interested?" She called back after a few steps.

Kazuki didn't hesitate to turn and follow her. Arcade with a pretty girl beat school in every way he could think of. "Hell yeah, let's get out of here."

XXX

The picture was out again. That was the first thing Kazuki noticed when he walked into the apartment's living room. He hadn't seen it for a while this time, but judging from the empty bottles around it she must have been looking at it most of the day. At least that meant he'd missed the teary segment of today's activities. Sighing to himself Kazuki took a moment to glare at the picture; a black and white image of a stranger with _his_ face looking at him over a shoulder. He kind of hated that surprised expression on his face.

The picture had been absent from the house when he was younger, tucked away somewhere forgotten. His grandmother had drug it out of storage for the first time a few years ago to prove his resemblance to her Yusuke; like she had expected him to care. So what he looked like him? He didn't know anything about Yusuke Urameshi, no one talked about him and Kazuki sure as hell wasn't going to ask.

"Yusuke you're back." When she slurred and staggered like that it wasn't worth arguing with her. Annoyed Kazuki blew a few strands of his hair out of his face. "Good. I'm going out so watch the house." She ruffled his hair as she passed, the only consistent sign of affection he could ever remember getting from his grandma Atsuko, "Don't let it get blown up like that one time…"

"Yeah, sure Grandma…" He rolled his eyes at her ramblings, wondering how she made this stuff up. Blow up the apartment? Really he took way better care of the place than she did. Of course he was here a lot more often than she was. He waited until the door had been closed almost a full minute to pick up his "Father's" picture and chucked it thoughtlessly into his grandmother's bedroom, the only part of the apartment he refused to clean. What was the point? She'd just tear it apart again.

After a shower, which included five or ten minutes of examining his face in the mirror to see if tonight's rounds of fighting had earned him a black eye Kazuki returned to the living room, wondering when all the punks from his and every other junior high or high school would get the message and stop trying to fight with him. Beating the same faces into the same pavement every day was starting to get old. He still wasn't sure if he had a black eye, but someone had managed to bruise his knuckles. How Sayuri could make it out of the things every time without a mark on her the next day was really beyond him. Sure she didn't go around picking fights, but she didn't seem to have a problem with ending something someone else started. Just another of the reasons they got along and had since the day they met. So it was absolutely not concern that plagued him as his thoughts wandered to her. He knew Sayuri could handle herself. So what she'd gotten on the bad side of some jerk and his cronies earlier? It wasn't like three full grown men were going to try hunting down a junior high girl for humiliating them in public… were they? He'd talked himself into calling just by the process of talking himself out of it.

Normally she answered on the second or third ring, so when his friend hadn't by the fifth Kazuki was starting to curse himself for not insisting on walking her home. By the sixth he was pacing and when it cut off he almost breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hello?" The male voice was entirely unexpected. Sayuri always answered the phone. At first he was sure he must have dialed a wrong number. But Sayuri did live with her dad, and since he'd never heard the man's voice before he wouldn't have recognized it.

"Is Sayuri there?"

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line, and Kazuki was instantly thrown back to the edge of panic. Had something happened to her? She should have been home by now she didn't live that far away. At least he didn't think she did, he'd never been to her house, but she said it wasn't far. "I'm afraid Sayuri isn't able to come to the phone right now. Would you like to leave a message?"

"Oh…" He knew that tone; busted. "Nah that's alright. I'll see her at school tomorrow." He hung up quickly and sighed. At least it was can't come to the phone instead of isn't home, so she must have made it back okay.

XXX

"I take it you've made a friend at your new school?"

She purposely ignored the person sitting on her bed in favor of finishing the last page of her book. Only when it was done did she close it and glance at him. "I don't see how it's any of your business if I have or not. I'm allowed have friends aren't I?"

"Of course," He was silent for a long time, but she said offered no further information, he hadn't really expected her to, "Have you finished your homework?"

"Do you even have to ask? I finished almost an hour ago." She stretched and stood, pausing for a second before she sank onto the bed beside him. "Am I really in that much trouble?" Sayuri asked, letting her head drop over against his shoulder.

She felt her father chuckle as his arm settled around her shoulders. "More than you can possibly imagine." He told her, squeezing her affectionately. Sayuri groaned.

XXX

"What; there a test today or something?" He glanced up at the red head perched on the edge of the roof. Somehow she consistently made it onto the raised portion over the stairwell by herself. When Kazuki attempted the jump he found once again that he couldn't quite make it. His fingers brushed the edge, but couldn't hook over it enough for him to pull himself up.

"No…" Absently Sayuri's hand shot out to catch his, straining just a bit to pull him up far enough for Kazuki to hoist himself onto the ledge beside her. "Dad found out I skipped yesterday. I'm on lockdown for the rest of the week." She rolled her eyes, "He dropped me off at school this morning, even stayed to watch until I got inside."

"Isn't that a little overkill? I mean you're still getting A's so what's he got to bitch about?"

She shrugged and laid back on the roof, her legs still dangling down the wall. "We're going camping this weekend so I got what I wanted out of it."

"What are you nuts? Who in their right mind _wants_ to go camping?" He glared down at the swarm of students still making their way inside. The girl beside him only hummed noncommittally. "See? It's just like I thought. You're crazy. If you really want to go how'd you trick him into thinking it's some kind of punishment?"

"Don't be dumb. I didn't trick him, if anything he's probably tricked me somehow." Sayuri pushed herself back into a sitting position, "I just haven't figured out what he's up to yet." She added thoughtfully.

"Someone trick you? Yeah right."

"You might be surprised." Sayuri murmured off handedly. Her eyes remained fixed on the ground several stories below as she inched to the edge and dropped lightly to her feet. "Class is about to start."

"Whatever…" He traced her hands as she smoothed her rumpled clothes and brushed away the dust. Leaning forward onto his knees he looked down at her. "You ever going to tell me if that uniform is still all lacy underneath like the other girls?" Trying to get some sort of rise out of her he was disappointed when she only paused to look up at him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased with a trace of a smile, before tossing her jacket over her shoulder with a haughty toss of her head. Her soft laughter lingered for a moment after the door clicked closed behind her. With nothing worth looking at left below Kazuki laid back to stare at the sky. He'd have to step up his game if he wanted a reaction other than laughter from her, but any more aggressive action would put him in danger of having his lights put out. Street fights with the local thugs were one thing, but he was pretty sure that girl could hit almost as hard as he could.

"Your father used to hide out up here too you know."

Kazuki groaned. "So? Why should I care?" The long quiet stretch was more annoying than anything else. "What do you want old man?"

Takanaka, the wrinkled very grey haired principal looked up at him sternly for a moment before he sighed. "You remind me of him so much sometimes it's like no time has passed."

"Sounds like a personal problem."

The principal stared at him for a long second. With a shake of his head he reached out, catching Kazuki's leg in a surprisingly firm grasp. He pulled sharply, and Kazuki found himself tumbling down to land hard on the ground at the man's feet. "I think it's time we had a talk Mr. Urameshi. Let's go to my office, we'll have tea."

"I don't want any damned tea…"

"Then you don't have to drink it. Now get moving." He ordered.

"You know, no one asked you to harass me old man." Kazuki grumbled hands buried in his pockets as he slouched toward the stairs, "I hate this freaking school."

XXX

The last thing he'd expect was for her to just stroll out the front door. It closed behind her with barely a click, but she still looked around warily to be certain no one had seen. Sure he escape had been a clean on Sayuri made her way to the street pulling the hood of her sweatshirt down firmly over her forehead. If anyone looked out at the sidewalk she wanted to be as unrecognizable as possible. She slouched inside the baggy garment to appear shorter until she'd gone several blocks and with a sense of satisfaction boarded a bus that had been idling at the curb. If her father thought he could take off and leave her under the guard of an appointed babysitter and she was going to go along with it peacefully he was seriously deluding himself.

Sayuri smiled as she settled back into the bus seat, leaving her hood up to keep her easily distinguished red hair hidden until she was safely out of the neighborhood. She wouldn't put it past her dad's watchdog to stop the bus and drag her off of it. There was no way she was going to let that happen until she was ready to go. It wasn't a very long trip to the heart of the city. Once there she would be able to blend into the crowd and make being found that much harder.

XXX

Still grumbling under his breath Kazuki half stomped down the sidewalk with his shoulders slumped and his hands stuffed into his pockets. The stupid principal just wouldn't get off his back. He'd even kept him after school drinking tea in his office and rambling about the importance of attendance and grades, stopping fighting and thinking about his future instead. What the hell did the future matter anyway? That was something he could worry about later.

The sudden impact of someone bumping into his side shook Kazuki out of his thoughts, the stab of pain caused by a shoulder to his stomach made him look down instead of up. "Hey! Watch where the hell you're going…" The person he'd been snapping at moved past him down the sidewalk and Kazuki considered going after to teach them some manners until he caught sight of her. Judging from the pink tinged grey hair under her purple hat the woman must have been pretty old and she would barely reach his shoulder. Definitely not then. He may have been willing to fight whoever started something but he wasn't about to start going around beating up little old ladies.

He was turning back to continue on when he heard the telltale ping of metal bouncing on concrete. Kazuki glanced down expecting a coin or something. Instead his eyes locked on an oddly shaped brass colored ring. He glanced around quickly before bending down to collect it. There was no one on this stretch of sidewalk but him and the woman who'd bumped into him. For a split second he thought about keeping it, but what use did he have for a stupid ring? "Hey old woman…" He turned sharply to yell after her, but she continued on without so much as a second of hesitation "Must be deaf. Damn it…" Why he was bothering was a mystery even to Kazuki. Normally he wouldn't have, would have just thrown the stupid ring away or kept it, but for some reason he turned and started running after her.

XXX

A tickle of something on the edge of her awareness stopped Sayuri mid-step. She pulled in a deep breath and glanced around in search of what was causing the shiver skittering over her skin.

"Hey Lady…!" Forgetting about the sensation and it's cause she turned toward the familiar voice in time to see a dark haired figure still dressed in his blue school uniform running down the sidewalk on the far side of the street, "Come on already! Don't make me chase you…!" He turned down an alley and vanished from sight as she reached the crosswalk and started jogging across the street.

XXX

She sure made good time for a short old woman. Still half considering giving up on the whole thing Kazuki followed her into an alley in time to see her dart around the far corner. "Look Lady I don't have all day to play hide and freaking seek. If you want this stupid ring back stop already…"He emerged from the alley into a small empty lot. Some high rise loomed over him from the other side of a tall wooden fence. With an annoyed scoff he turned in a circle. The only exit was where he'd come in, but the woman wasn't anywhere in the dead end. On his second turn his brown eyes landed on a small purple lump at the far end. "Jeez, this woman drops everything." He barely glanced at the hat as he scooped it up; too occupied with the stairs it was sitting next to.

It must have been a warehouse of some kind, although it looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. Kazuki started down the steps toward what was probably a basement. Not only was this woman hard of hearing she must have been senile too. The whole building was probably about to come down. Why did he have to pick today to play Good Samaritan? The door at the bottom of the stairs was half open, but it creaked loudly as he pushed it the rest of the way into the musty smelling room. Another short set of stairs led down to the dirt streaked tile floor. "Hey …grandma …you down here…?" His voice echoed back dully, "I'm not spending all day on this, if you want your ring back…" Kazuki trailed off as he examined the ring. The thick band had raised edges and little dots around the center, but the weird part was the little metal spines extending from one edge. Thoughtfully he pushed against one of the spines' rounded tips. It was odd looking but he could have sworn he'd seen a ring like this somewhere. Maybe they'd been the fashion once or something.

Kazuki's progress across the room was halted when the toe of his shoe collided with something hard. Glancing down he found one of the floor tiles had popped up at the edge. He pushed it down again with his toe only to have the stupid thing bounce back up under his foot. Frowning stepped onto the panel, intending to weigh it down.

"Kazuki what are you doing down here?" She leaned against the rusted railing in time to see her dark haired friend step on a raised piece of flooring. He jumped at the sound of her voice and started to spin back, probably to snap at her for sneaking up on him as usual, but before a word could escape him the floor gave way beneath his weight and Kazuki's wide brown eyes met hers for only an instant before he vanished through the opening. "Kazuki…!" She jumped the rail and landed on the dusty floor racing instantly to hole. Hopefully Kazuki had landed safely in some subbasement. Sayuri knew as she skidded to a halt then dropped to her knees to look into the opening she'd been overly optimistic. "Oh… this is not good." She whispered into the swirling greenish haze below.


	3. Three Monsters part 1

He was falling a lot faster and further than he should have been. It took a while for Kazuki to even realize he was screaming. Instinctively he tightened his grip on the ring in his palm. The wind pulled at him, yanking at his uniform and pulling his hair back from his face. He didn't think about maintaining his grip on the hat until the purple fabric was torn free of his fingers. Fruitlessly Kazuki grasped for the small object soaring away from him. He only had a fraction of a second to notice it's loss before landing with a world blurring, bone jarring impact almost directly on his face before the rest of his body hit the ground.

Thanking his hard skull every inch of the way Kazuki rolled onto his back and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Combing his fingers through his hair to smooth down the stubborn strands that habitually stood up rather than joining the others laying across his forehead or feathering back over his ears. It wasn't until his hands dropped to his sides that he realized he was sitting on grass or that when he looked up he was staring at the sky instead of the floor he'd fallen through. "Okay…" He muttered climbing slowly to his feet, "Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought." Kazuki straightened fully brushing at his wrinkled clothes. At first he thought he imagined something bouncing off his shoe, but a glance down revealed something glinting at the tip of his toe. Bending down he brushed aside the grass and with an annoyed look retrieved the ring that he'd forgotten he was holding. "Great." After examining the somehow undamaged jewelry he slipped it onto his index finger. If he'd managed to keep it this long he wasn't going to lose it because it fell out of his pocket or something.

The soft rustling of leaves was almost deafening in the silence. He turned sharply to the source of the noise, a long bank of low hedge bushes that looked like they hadn't been trimmed in years. Stiffly he watched the first short hooded figure step out of the branches, a second struggling out behind him. "Hey guys, nice cloaks… want to tell me how to get the hell out of here and back to the stupid warehouse?" Focusing on the first of the small hidden people Kazuki didn't bother paying attention to the others swarming behind it. At least he didn't until he saw the eyes glowing at him from the shadows of the hood. "Wow… okay never mind…" He took a step back suddenly much more interested in the number of creatures surrounding him and the odd half growling half squealing noises they made. There was only one readily recognizable sound in the cacophony of noise and it sounded suspiciously like the word human. More rustling from behind him was accompanied by a trace of a shiver going up his spine. He had only a second to realize he was probably in trouble before the miniature horde swarmed toward him from every side. Since he had no way to escape Kazuki figured it was a good thing his instincts ran almost exclusively on the fight side of the scale. He managed to knock back the first five or six that reached him, but as the sheer number of enemies grew several oddly formed clawed hands gripped his legs and arms sharp nails digging in even through the cloth. Trying to yank himself away from the grasping hands Kazuki yelped in pain as a set of teeth sank into his upper arm. Ripping one hand free he grasped the offender and threw it as far as possible, punching everything he could reach until his hand was trapped again.

He heard the screeches long before he actually saw the creatures being yanked away from him. Almost desperately Kazuki struggled against the hands trying to pin him down. Another set of teeth, jagged yellow thing dripping with saliva flashed in his vision coming closer to his face. He felt a gust of air, heard something whistle past his ear and several flashes of green crossed his vision before Kazuki could blink. As the small seeming deformed bodies fell away from him in one wave he felt momentarily weightless. Then a hand closed around his arm and instinctively Kazuki spun to its owner a hooded figure much closer to his own height than his assailants', fully prepared to bury his fist in its shadowed face.

A hand caught his redirecting the blow as the owner sidestepped in the opposite direction. "Hold it!" A familiar voice ordered, "It's me." He stilled as the hand on his arm rose and pushed back the hood of what he now recognized as a sweatshirt rather than a torn robe of some kind. The oddly tinged light revealed the expected red hair and green eyes.

"Sayuri…" He breathed in relief, and then stiffened at the sight of a long spool of bright green in her hand. "What the hell is that?" He demanded recognizing what looked like thorn on whatever it was she was carrying.

"We don't really have time for that right now." Her eyes widened, "You're bleeding?"

"Yeah, one of those things bit me…" He glanced down at the bodies lying around him, realizing for the first time that several of them had been sliced cleanly into multiple pieces. Miraculously that and the blood didn't turn his stomach.

"We'll have to take care of it later." Sayuri caught his arm again, dragging Kazuki's attention away from the bodies, "There's more coming and with you bleeding we're sitting ducks out here." She hadn't been that far behind him, only a minute or two at the most. If Kazuki had already been hurt the swarm would just keep growing and with the scent of blood in the air the creatures would be more ferocious than before. Considering that and that an uninjured Kazuki had clearly had his hands full with these things getting him out of danger was probably the best option. She could have handled them on her own, but if there was a fight he wasn't very likely to stay out of it. A rustle in the bushes signaled that her thinking time was up. She had to do something and she really had no other choice.

He heard the movement in the brush a moment after Sayuri's green eyes shot to them. Worried now for her probably more than himself he spun toward the next wave, fists clenched. Whatever these freaky little things were he wasn't going down without a fight. They didn't emerge slowly this time. The first charged out and Kazuki was about to charge as well when the light green thorn covered object, a vine or rope or something, shot out past him and looped around the creature. He traced the weapon back to Sayuri's hand just as she pulled sharply and a spray of dark colored danced at the edge of his vision. His gaze darted back pausing for the briefest moment on the cloaked torso falling away from its legs before going to the plants. The spindly branches the monsters had been pushing through almost seemed to be moving. Kazuki was sure he'd imagined it until one escaped and came running toward them. A brown tendril shot out, catching the little creature and wrapping tightly around it drug it struggling all the way back into the brush. His narrowed eyes widened into nearly perfect circles as he stared into the writhing branches and found more glowing pairs of eyes than he could count. "What the…"  
"Come on." Turning Sayuri caught his arm and started running, dragging a stumbling Kazuki behind her.

"What are those things?" He demanded loudly, falling into step behind her as a strange shiver coursed through him. He knew without looking that they were being followed.

"You're probably happier not knowing." Sayuri warned, turning and lashing back to fall several of their closest pursuers without slowing.

"I already know they're trying to eat us." He grumbled. The wound on his arm throbbed dully as he ran, "And what is that thing? I didn't know you carried some freaky weapon."

"It's a rose whip and it isn't freaky. It's effective." Turning forward again she sped up, her eyes going to the enormous building looming over them. It was the closest structure and while it looked ominous she couldn't sense anything alive inside it. "Do you see the entrance?"

"You want to go in there?" It looked like some kind of castle at least it was trying to. Even as he watched some of the stone was crumbling off the higher floors and dark windows. "It looks like a freaking death trap."

"Do you have a better idea? Because if you'd rather stay out here and be eaten…"

"Fine we'll go in the damn spooky castle." Pushing against the puncture wounds in an effort to stop the flow of blood that had already soaked his sleeve Kazuki ran toward the large opening in the stone wall, listening to the snap of Sayuri's rose whip cracking behind him. The entrance turned out to be a long tunnel. Half way down it Kazuki slowed and glanced at the girl walking backward beside him. "So are you going to tell me what's on here yet?" He asked softly then added, "And where the hell did your whip thing go?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She flashed her usual teasing half smile then sighed when he only glared at her. "Are you sure you want to hear this Kazuki?"

"Just get over the cryptic crap already and tell what those things are and why they were trying to eat me?!"

She cringed as hi voice echoed loudly into the long stone hallway. "They're trying to eat you because you're human and they're demons that eat humans."

"Demons…?" Kazuki stopped short and turned to look at her, "I knocked myself out didn't I? This is just some weird coma fantasy right?"

"Coma fantasy…?" She echoed, stopping to look back at him. "How soap opera. I guess we know what you do with your afternoons…"

For a moment he scowled but it quickly turned into a smile and Kazuki wheeled away to start walking. "Whatever Sayuri, since this is just some dream I'm not letting you get to me."

She watched him near the end of the hall without moving to follow. Maybe it was best to let him keep thinking that. As long as they didn't run into any serious trouble it couldn't hurt. But if something did happen and Kazuki believed himself to be invulnerable in some dream land he was far more likely to do something stupid and get himself killed which would defeat the entire purpose of coming here. How could she explain this in a way he'd be able to believe?

Sayuri heard the first creaking of gears an instant before she felt the floor beneath her feet shudder. Her body reacted before her stunned mind had a chance to catch up. At full speed, far faster than she normally moved around average people she shot forward. "Move…!" She ordered even as she caught Kazuki's wrist and towed him forward. They out of the hallway with no time or space to spare as the stone ceiling that had been above them slammed to the floor with an ear splitting bang.

He rolled to a halt against the far wall, his heart pounding wildly. He'd had realistic dreams before but this one might really prove hazardous to his health. In the settling dust cloud he was surprised to find Sayuri standing only from the now solid wall. "SO demons and traps huh? What's that make you a freaking demon slayer?"

"Not exactly…" She turned back to him, "It looks like we'll have to find another way out… if you're able to go on?" The blood still dripping from him arm didn't appear promising.

"I'll be fine." He found his feet again quickly, "This has got to be the craziest dream I've ever had."

"It's no dream."

He'd never heard Sayuri use a tone that serious and when he turned to her the piercing look in her green eyes left no room for argument as well as sending a shiver through him. "What the hell do you mean? There's no way this is really happening?"

"The faster you accept the truth the better off we'll be. I thought the castle was deserted, but if the traps are still working it might not be. We'll have to be careful so I can't risk you doing something dumb. If you die down here it'll come back on me and that the kind of trouble I can live without."

"So …what…? You think there are more of those things in here?"

"I doubt that, but there may be something worse." She sighed, "Let me see where it bit you."

Kazuki paused for a second debating on arguing but the throbbing wound rapidly beat out his hesitance. It was hard not to hiss or cringe as she peeled the cloth away from his skin, the tacky blood making it pull awkwardly.

"It could have been a lot worse." Only two of the demon's teeth had pierced the skin. One of the wounds was small, barely a nick. The blood had come from the other, a much deeper wound that was still open and bleeding freely.

He looked up from examining the bite in time to see Sayuri remove a wad of soggy green gum from her mouth. She considered it quickly then wrapped a dark green leaf around it and popped the whole collection back into her mouth. "What was that?"

"It's an herb." She told him, chewing absently at the leaves as she pulled off her sweatshirt. Catching the thin fabric in her teeth she grasped the other end and tore off two long strips from the hem. "Chewing releases and activates the juices inside." She explained absently, dabbing delicately at the smeared blood then pressing a clean part of the cloth to the wound. "Hold this."

Surprised by the efficient and clearly practiced motions Kazuki did as he was told. "What is it supposed to do?" He asked quietly, nodding toward her head to indicate the leaves she was still chewing.

"It's a local anesthetic, but it also fights infection."

"You want to put that stuff on me?" He demanded, outraged, "After you've been chewing on it?"

"Would you rather chew it up on yourself?" She watched him for a moment before pulling his hand and the cloth away from his arm. Satisfied that the bleeding had stopped she pressed the now pulverized leaf past into the two wounds and spread it carefully over the affected area. Kazuki cringed and tried to pull away from her hands. "Stop being such a baby." She grumbled and wrapped the second strip of cloth tightly over the two wounds.

"I'm not being a baby…" He objected. He was just used to aspirin, not leaves and doing his own first aid work in the very rare occasion that he needed it. "Where'd you get the plant? You just carry it around with you?"

"Among other things..."

"Like that whip?" When she nodded and turned away Kazuki took the opportunity to examine her closely. Some time in the last few hours she'd changed out of her uniform into jeans and a dark green tank top, the now tattered dark grey sweatshirt was tied around her waist. This was probably the first time he'd ever seen her hair out of a braid or pony tail, it was longer than he'd thought reaching nearly to her hips. As far as he could tell there was no where she could have hidden something as big as the whip had been without it being obvious.

"That's one example." Sayuri turned back, "We'd better start looking for an exit. There's no telling how long this could take."

Still a little stunned Kazuki fell into step beside her. This whole thing was completely insane. There was no way any of this was really happening, but a sidelong glance at Sayuri and the very serious look on her face had him rethinking his position. "You realize how crazy this sounds right?"

"Not really." She shrugged one shoulder, green eyes searching and her other senses straining to find signs of life, "But I've known all of this all my life since…" She fell silent suddenly, glanced at him quickly before rushing on, "It probably is a lot to have sprung on you all of a sudden."

"You think?" Kazuki snapped, "How the hell did you know about all this crap anyway?"

For a few seconds Sayuri considered not answering, but Kazuki had that determined look he got on those occasions when he absolutely wasn't going to be sidetracked. After months of friendship she knew when it was pointless to argue with his stubborn streak. "It's kind of hard not to know about demons when you are one." She admitted finally.

XXX

The girl was without a doubt not only more trouble than she was worth, but far too clever for her own good. And he would make sure she thought twice before pulling a similar stunt ever again once he found her. She may have been hiding herself somehow, but he would find her; clever or not. He ignored the persistent ringing at first, but quickly grew impatient with it.

"What?" He snarled, flipping open the communication device.

"I'm sorry sir; I know we weren't supposed to disturb you…"

"Then why are you?" The energy decoy had already given her a head start; he couldn't afford to give her anymore time. He was not going to spend all night tracking her.

"There's been a breach sir, a human crossed the barrier not far from your location, a demon as well shortly after."

"Then send someone to get the idiot." Weren't they capable of doing anything on their own? Why was he always surrounded by incompetents?

"We don't have anyone nearby, and it's a matter of some urgency. Our latest scans show that the pair has entered a hazardous area, it could prove fatal if someone doesn't get there in time."

Closing the mirror with a snap he altered his course. The willful teenager had gotten lucky for now.

XXX

Judging from the look on his face Kazuki was either going to throw up or try to punch her. It was actually a little entertaining to watch the thought process warring on his face, briefly she thought he might faint. "So you're some kind of horrible monster..." his brown eyes widened suddenly, "You aren't planning on trying to eat me are you? Cause if you try it I'll…"

"As terrifying as I'm sure you're about to be you have nothing to worry about. Even if I was one of the kinds that eat humans you wouldn't be at the top of my menu."

"And what the hell's wrong with me?" He demanded, offended by the quickness of the dismissal.

"Oh, so you want me to eat you now? Sorry Kazuki, I'm not that kind of girl." Hiding a grin she turned away from him and started walking, "Are you coming or do I frighten you too much?"

"Like _you _scare _me_..." He grumbled catching up to her. "If you are a demon you're a pretty pathetic one. What kind of demon goes to junior high?"

She sighed. "The kind that's trying to blend in..." Why did he have to pick now to get curious? Couldn't he just accept what she'd said without follow up questions? She was far too busy trying to look for an exit or a potential ambush to play tutor. They probably wouldn't even let him remember this anyway. Someone was always monitoring the borders for human energy signals where they didn't belong so someone must have noticed by now. Realization froze her mid-step for an instant. This wasn't an approved crossing point, so there would be no standard team assigned to the area. They would have to call someone in. And the closest border guard agent… was camped out in a tree behind her house; so much for a clean get away.

"So how many kinds of demons are there?"

The question startled her out of her own thoughts. "Tons..." If she got Kazuki out of here quickly, before he could catch up, there was still a chance they could both get out of this without getting in serious trouble. And the best way to keep him moving was to answer his questions to keep him occupied and arguing or taking detours.

"What kind are you?" He still didn't believe a word of it. Demons, right. Sayuri was probably the furthest thing from a demon that you could think of. Although closer examination did reveal her eye teeth were a little longer and more sharply pointed than most. That didn't make them fangs or prove any of what she'd said. But the longer he was in this freaky castle without waking up the more he was starting to wonder.

"Fox," Of course it was a little more complicated than that, but knowing Kazuki the simple answer would probably be the most appreciated.

"Does being a demon give you any special powers?"

Sayuri glanced at him quickly. Maybe he was more accepting of this whole situation than she'd thought. She just couldn't tell if he was asking about her specifically or trying to figure out things about demons in general. "It kind of depends on the individual."

"Just answer me Sayuri."

"Yes, but it's because we're usually more aware of our energy not just the different physiology…"

"Physic what?"

"Our bodies are a little different."

"Right, well I figured that out." Kazuki looked at her, "What's the whole energy thing about?"

"Why do you care so much?"

"If I'm going to be around demons I figure I should get a crash course right?" He looked at her and away quickly, "And I should probably know a few things if this isn't a dream and I have a demon friend."

Definitely more accepting than she'd originally thought. A sudden stab of guilt redirected her thoughts. She'd spent the last several minutes worried about herself, she hadn't thought about what would happen to Kazuki. He'd already been hurt, but what would border patrol do to him? Normally humans who wandered across the barrier had their memories altered to keep them from remembering where they'd ended up and were returned to their side of the barrier. But this wasn't an opening that had been left in the barrier on purpose. They would want to know how he'd found it and how likely were they to believe he'd just wandered across it? What kind of trouble would he be in when someone caught up to him?

"Hello Sayuri, you in there?" He'd run his hand in front of her eyes several times before Sayuri seemed to notice, "What's up with the silent treatment huh?"

"Alright Kazuki, you want a crash course I'll give you one, but we don't have much time so you better pay attention."

XXX

It wasn't difficult to track the breach in the barrier. If he hadn't been able to sense it or smell it he could have just followed the trickle of insects spreading across the city. He landed on the roof overlooking a small vacant dirt lot and watched the insects buzzing slowly out of it. At least there weren't that many of them. There was something familiar about the warehouse the turned toward once he'd dropped to the ground, but it wasn't until he'd entered the basement that he made the connection.

XXX


	4. Three Monsters part 2

How in the hell could she know all this stuff and keep it straight in her head? He'd been listening to what she called the basics for the last coupled minutes and none of it made sense. Spirit energy. How was knowing some philosophical mumbo-jumbo supposed to make anything clearer? And he was supposed to be able to use it to fight? "Where'd you learn this crap?"

"It isn't crap." The look Sayuri almost made him cringe, "It happens to be a very useful thing to know."

"Yeah, sure. Why should I believe any of this is real and you aren't just making it all up?" He followed her through a set of double doors into a large dark room. A few steps in the crunch of gravel beneath his feet drew Kazuki's eyes downward to the pebbles littering the floor. He only looked up again when he realized Sayuri's footsteps had fallen silent.

"I suppose you're looking for a demonstration?" He stared silently at the rose in her hand, wondering where it had come from until she began twisting it between her fingers and miraculously the petals began to peel off and spiral around the center floating in midair. Then she snapped the stem to one side and the thorny bright green whip cracked against the ground by his feet. Unable to help himself Kazuki jumped back from the weapon, sending gravel scattering. "It won't hit you unless I want to. Dad's been training me with it for years." Before his eyes the whip vanished, transforming back into the bright red rose she'd been holding moments earlier. The flower vanished as she walked past him across the gravel floor. "It looks like we'll have to go up, if we want to go any further." She told him, indicating a staircase he hadn't noticed on the far side of the room.

He started up the stairs behind her and was forced to skip a few steps to catch up. "You're dad's a demon too then." It was more of a statement than a question, but he waited for a response anyway.

"It's not like it's a medical condition." She rolled her eyes, "Humans don't just have demon babies…" Unless there was a complicated set of background information she really didn't feel like trying to explain right now.

"Well excuse me for not knowing this crap. We don't all have demon daddies to tell us about mystical powers."

"Hints the crash course…" Sayuri flashed him a smile, "Lucky for you you've got a demon friend to fill in the gaps." The mischievous glint in her eyes made him feel almost normal as she broke into a run. "Bet you can't keep up!"

"Who are you kidding? Bet I'll beat you!" He didn't. She was a lot faster than he remembered, but Kazuki was proud that he stayed within a few steps of her, even if he was breathing heavily by the time he came rushing through the door at the top.

"STOP…!" Her hand caught his shoulder, yanking him back and spinning him around at the same time.

"Why? Worried you can't keep up now that we aren't on stairs?" He grinned and spun to continue only to pitch forward and stare downward into nothing. A piece of the platform he was standing on crumbled and fell away cracking loudly against the wall as it fell toward the ground he knew was there but couldn't see.

"Because if you don't you'll fall to your death." Sayuri pulled at his jacket, hauling him back from the edge and onto firmer footing, "Be careful we don't have that much room to move."

"You're not kidding." The ledge they stood on was maybe two feet wide, parts of it thinner "Looks like a dead end, guess we go back and look for another way."

"There's no other way out of there." Sayuri glanced back, "If we want to get out of here we'll have to get to the other side of the castle."

"Yeah? And how are we supposed to do that? Unless you can fly demon girl..."

"Sorry to disappoint but foxes doesn't come with wings." She murmured, staring at the platform on the far side of the large expanse of nothing. "At least not this one..."

"Well what do you want to do then," He demanded, leaning against the wall to keep back from the edge, "just stand here looking down at nothing?"

"How's your arm?" She asked quietly.

"Well it doesn't hurt so much since you put that stuff on it…" He answered looking down at the makeshift bandages he'd forgotten were there.

Looking at him Sayuri stifled a chuckle but couldn't help smiling, "I'm glad to hear it but that's not what I meant. Do you think you could throw something over there?"

He stared for a long second, "Maybe… depends on what you want me to throw." Sayuri was already moving. Quickly she undid the sweatshirt that had been tied around her waist and placed it on the ground, turning sideways to drop to her knees beside it. Kazuki watched over her shoulder as she broke off a chunk of the rock and set it on the fabric. Her hand tunneled into her hair and emerged again with a few small seeds that she dropped onto the rock before bundling the whole thing up, knotting the sleeves securely before climbing back to her feet with it.

"This used to be my favorite…" She lamented, and then added, "Here, try this."

"Whatever you say…" He wasn't afraid of heights, he just didn't really like standing on this crumbling ledge. So if Sayuri had a plan to get them off it and it somehow included tossing a rock filled sweater over a canyon he'd do his best.

It was going to be close. The little bundle sailed through the air to the far side of the chasm, sinker sooner than they would have liked and they were both holding their breath as it neared the ledge and dropped balanced precariously on the ledge. Breathing a sigh of relief Kazuki glanced at the girl next to him. The serious expression on Sayuri's face made her look almost frightening. He'd always seen her smiling or passive, but the cold determination in her eyes and the slight frown her plump lips had set themselves in gave her an almost dangerous look. Suddenly he wondered if they were in more trouble than she'd been letting on.

Kazuki wasn't sure what made him turn suddenly back to the Sayuri's emerald eyes were fixed on. It was like a tickle or a mental shiver that just told him to. He stared at the little bud of green that crawled out of the knotted fabric and along the ledge. The vine wound around several boulders and anchored itself into the stone of the opposite platform, "So you don't just turn roses into whips…"

"My energy works with plants, not just roses." She answered, her attention still fixed on the vine crawling along the edge. Sensing the coming question she offered an answered it before he could ask, "I couldn't risk trying to root it on this side. The stone is already weak and compromising it further could destroy the entire ledge." She waited a moment longer for the vine to be thick enough then lashed across the open space and tangled the ends of the vine and her rose whip together. Still feeding the plant the energy it needed to grow she slowly pulled the vine across the gap. Once she had the thick rubbery vine in hand Sayuri stepped back into the doorway and placed it at the bottom of the arch, using her energy to harden the vines surface until it could dig into and plant roots in the stone. Turning back she watched two more shoots crawl along the original vine, lifted by more offshoots to be held above the thicker vine.

"Wow, build your own rope bridge…" Kazuki smirked, "Ladies first."

"Thanks so much." She murmured sarcastically, then stepped onto the now thick brown vine, "Wait until I'm all the way across to follow, I don't know that the anchors on either end will hold us both at the same time."

"That's reassuring." Kazuki crossed his arms to watch her as she started off across the gently swinging vine. Her fingertips trailed gently over the upper vines but didn't close over them. Even in the center where the wind swept her hair first one way then another and back Sayuri didn't waver once in her footing. She almost seemed to float across. "Well this can't be too hard…" He announced to himself as she stepped onto the stone on the far side. He figured out after a few steps that he was wrong. Walking this rope even with the handrails was a lot harder than it looked. Hands gripping the two smaller vines at his sides so tightly his knuckles were turning white Kazuki progressed slowly, shuffling along inch by inch.

Nearly holding her breath Sayuri watched him from the landing, hyper sensitive to any sign of trouble. He was heavier than her, but surely the vines were strong enough to hold him. Still when he reached the center and slowed she felt the straining roots on the far side start to snap. "Hurry up!" She called, trying to feed her energy through the vine to repair the connections. Her eyes met his as her efforts failed and the suddenly slack vine fell out from beneath his feet.

He was falling again the thin green vines broke apart in his hands, leaving him to tumble downward a scream still stuck in his throat. Spinning in midair he reached out desperately for the brown skinned vine, the rough surface tearing at his skin as it slid through his palms.

"No… Kazuki…!" She lunged forward as the roots she'd set on this side of the chasm gave way and caught the vine, wrapping it around her arm to strengthen her grip. Almost hesitantly she glanced down, terrified he wouldn't be there. Her breath came out in a rush of relief when she recognized brown eyes blinking up at her.

"From now on _you _don't get to build the bridges." He shouted up to her and smiled as the fear that had been written across her delicate features faded away. Breathing his own sigh of relief Kazuki began pulling himself upward, his burned and scraped hands complaining every inch of the way. Sayuri caught his hand as he reached the top and pulled him onto the platform. Breathing hard Kazuki collapsed next to her as she released the vine and let it drop into the shadows between them and the ground.

XXX

Someone had entered the castle making his job that much more difficult. The human had probably been crushed under the fallen ceiling that hadn't yet been lifted. Still he couldn't leave without checking first. That meant finding another entrance and then finding his way back to the original.

His search was halted by a sudden spike of energy somewhere within the castle. Turning sharply he glared upward in time to see a green and brown object coiling around itself tumble down a distant wall. His eyes narrowed into a glare. His previously set aside annoyance with returned full force. How one girl, even _that_ girl could be so much trouble was beyond him. But now he had even more of a reason to find a new way into Maze castle.

XXX

"There had better be a way out on this side because there's no way in hell I'm doing that again." Kazuki informed her as they started across the platform and up a short staircase to the doorway above.

"Stop being such a baby. You made it across didn't you?" Sayuri brushed past him into the building again. She waited for him to catch up before following the staircase down. They walked in silence endlessly down, past stretches of identical bare stone wall. A sudden flare of energy sent a shiver down her spine and Sayuri froze, drawing in a gasp of breath. Too late.

"What the hell was that?" Kazuki had spun around to look back up the stairs.

"An energy signal," She whispered, "and it means we don't have any time to waste." Catching his wrist in her hand she started running, dragging him down the stairs after her.

"An energy signal? That means there's someone else around here who can do that energy trick stuff like you?"

At least he'd partly understood. "It means there's someone with an abundance of spirit energy nearby… in this case a border patrol agent looking for you."

"Looking for me? What would they want with me?"

"Average humans don't have a chance of defending themselves against demons. Demon world used to be sealed off by a powerful barrier, but not too long ago parts of it were opened. As long as demons don't cause trouble we're allowed to cross between, but a human in demon world is fair game. Border patrol finds the humans erases their memories of the other side and returns them to human world."

"Erases their memory? Some jerk wants to give me amnesia? I don't think so!" He stopped dead, "I'll go knock the bastard's head off."

"Kazuki, that's a really bad idea." Tugging at his arm Sayuri yanked him forward a few more steps, "What you came through isn't an authorized opening, they're probably going to want to hold you for questioning. And that isn't any agent, he's one of the commanders. So if you try anything we may not make it out in one piece." He wouldn't actually kill them, probably, but she needed Kazuki to take this seriously, and if they were to fight he wouldn't stand a chance, "Our best chance is getting out of here and back to the other side of the border before he catches up and sees you."

"So run away is your big plan?" He demanded, letting her yank him forward.

"For the moment… it isn't exactly running away, just out running. We want to get out of here before the breech closes anyway." She skidded to a halt just short of a pair of enormous double doors.

"Probably too much to hope that this leads outside isn't it?"

"I tend to agree, but we need to keep going anyway." She shoved at the door, listening to the hinges creak loudly. A blast of warm air escaped, washing over them both. They exchanged a look but no words before starting forward.

Kazuki glanced warily upward several times as he walked next to a tense Sayuri down the rough stone tunnel. The temperature rose the further they progressed, raising a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Talk about an oven…" He grumbled, swiping at a bead of moisture rolling down his temple.

"No… Lava…" Sayuri breathed as they came to a stop on a stone out cropping overlooking a sea of boiling molten rock.

"Great. Now what do we do?" Kazuki turned to the side and froze. He'd know Sayuri was pretty. He wasn't the type to describe anything as beautiful, but if there was anyone who deserved that title it was her, particularly now. The orangey golden glow from the lava made her absolutely stunning. Her brilliantly red hair, ruffled by the rising heated air, shimmered and danced like fire; her pale skin adopted the rosy hue reflected by the bubbling lava below. The light glinted in her large green eyes, the shocking contrast making them stand out even more than usual. How had he forgotten? When in the last few months had he gotten so used to her that it didn't floor him every day? She turned to him and Kazuki felt a flush that had nothing to do with the heat in the room creep over his face.

"Do you see that?"

"The lava…? Yeah I saw that."

"No, over there..." The room was littered around the edges with stone platforms rising on thin columns out of the lava. She indicated one on the far side of the room where something white was dangling from the edge. "What is that?"

"How the hell should I know?" A flurry of motion in the corner of his eye brought Kazuki's head to the side in time to watch Sayuri sail across the gap between two platforms. "What are you doing?" He demanded as she continued at a run leaping without pause from one platform to the nest, "Do you want to boil to death?"

"They aren't that far apart and they're pretty stable." She paused to look back at him, "Besides the door's over there so we have to get over their somehow." With a shrug she spun and continued on her way.

He stared after her in stunned silence for a long moment before approaching the edge. Shaking his head Kazuki approached the edge and praying he made it jumped down to the nearest platform.

Sayuri was already kneeling at the far side of the platform she'd pointed out earlier by the time he reached it. Stopping next to her Kazuki looked down at what she was examining. From this close the strip was more yellow than white. "It's a bandage." She murmured, reaching down to collect the strip of thin fabric fluttering in the updrafts of warm air. With gentle fingers she pulled the brittle cloth free of the crevice it had lodged in and wrapped it around her hand.

"Great a used bandage, that's just what we need." Kazuki stepped back and turned to the door still several platforms away. "Look like someone didn't make it to the door."

"Maybe…" Sayuri rose to a standing position and turned to face him, momentarily transfixed by the tips of his hair bobbing in the unsteady air. When he turned back and fixed her with that half grin she could only describe as cocky her pulse leapt a little.

"What do you say we show 'em up?"

Mentally shaking herself Sayuri smiled. "Sure." She murmured, content to follow as Kazuki took the lead and plotted their trail to the door. At least he was acting himself again. They rounded the last curve of the stairs beyond the lava room and came to a temporary halt in the center of a round room ringed by identical metal doors.

"This way…" Reaching back he caught her hand and yanked the startled redhead toward one of the doors.

"How can you tell?" His sudden enthusiasm was infectious. Sayuri bit back a chuckle and didn't object as he opened the second door on the left side of the room.

"Call it a hunch." Without giving her a chance to respond Kazuki pulled her into the hallway beyond the door at a full run.

Maybe his awareness was higher than she'd thought, or maybe she was deluding herself, but they didn't reach a dead end or come across any traps as Kazuki barreled down the hallway and she trailed after. At the end of the hall they rushed across a small room and up a short flight of steps between two statues she barely got a chance to glance at before being yanked through a blue door and into another large square stone room. "Do you even know where you're going?" She demanded as they ran faster over the stone.

"Not really, but eventually we'll find some stairs that go down right?" He glanced back over his shoulder briefly and Sayuri shook her head but returned his smile. She hadn't been overly fond of the uncertain nearly timid Kazuki the usual energetic decisive one was a relief to have around.

"If you say so…" She agreed as they started up yet another spiral staircase.

"Come on already! We're lost in a giant freaking deathtrap being chased down by a guy who wants to mess with my brain. We might as well have some fun with it."

Chuckling to herself Sayuri tightened her hand around his. "Alright Kazuki, whatever you say." At the top of the staircase they dashed down another long hallway before rushing into and up another flight of stairs, their footsteps echoing loudly off the stone walls until they broke out into the cold night air of another outdoor space. Half way across they slowed and finally came to a halt, looking at the four raised doorways in each corner of the square space a fifth led to a tower looming over them. "Any feeling about which way to go this time…?"

"None... Want to pick a door at random?" He asked. The smile he turned back with vanished when he saw the scowl that narrowed her eyes and lined her forehead. "What is it?"

Sayuri shook her head, silencing him and took two long breaths, closing her eyes for a second to analyze the scents mingling in the air. It was faint but there was something alive mixed in with the distant smells carried to her on the wind. Her eyes widened as she realized it was coming closer. It only took one glance at Kazuki's wide eyes to make her spin back the way they'd come.

"What's that?" Kazuki asked staring at the green humanoid shapes spilling out of the two darkened openings that had been behind them. The breeze ruffled what looked like leaves growing out of its head, "Plant people? Did you make these?"

"No." Sayuri breathed, "They're cultivated humans. I've never seen them in person before but… we should go." She stuck her arm out across his chest as she started backing up, forcing Kazuki back with her.

"I don't think that's going to do much good." Kazuki announced, spinning to look at the other doors and the identical shapes spilling out of them. "These cultivated human things anything I should know about?"

"Just think Zombie." Looking around Sayuri pushed him forward, "You go upstairs and see if you can see where the exit might be. I'll hold them off."

"No way am I leaving you alone down here with a bunch of zombies!"

"Don't argue. We need to know which way we're trying to get. I can take down more than one at a time so it makes sense for me to stay down here. Now get moving." Her rose whip was already in her hand as she shoved him toward the tower door with the other. "They have to be coming from somewhere, you might be able to tell where from up there."

"Yeah sure…" Or figure out if someone was in control of these things up there. After all they hadn't seen these things in the rest of the castle so they had to be protecting something or someone. Bolstered by his new suspicion Kazuki took the next staircase two at a time.

Sayuri spun back to the advancing horde, positioning her back firmly to the door to keep them from following. Extending the whip she swung it through the first wave, the thorns tearing through the leafy flesh. The torn bodies were quickly replaced by more and she began lashing at them at full speed.

XXX

Almost gasping for breath Kazuki finally reached the top of the tower. He stepped into the darkened domed room, eyes searching the shadowed interior. Seeing nothing he started in, slowly at first until after a few steps the urgency of the situation returned to him. Running again he started toward the window on the far side of the room.

"The restoration has been going slower than I expected. I'm glad you made it all the way here, I was beginning to wonder when you'd decide to come back."

He spun toward the female voice, finding the dark shape on the distant side of the room. "Come back?" How could he have come back when he'd never been here before, "Look lady..." he began.

"Don't you recognize me?" She stepped forward just as a crackle of lightning from overhead filled the room with light. The only thing that registered in that split second was feathers. The person speaking to him was covered entirely in green and yellow feathers. "It took me a long time to recover from what you did to me, but I come back better than before don't you think?"

"How the hell should I know?" Was that becoming his catch phrase or something? Why did people just expect him to know stuff?

"Come now, I may have been smaller then, but I haven't changed that much." If it was possible for beaks to form a smile that was what this bird was doing. Then with an impatient sigh the wings he'd mistaken for arms swept out with a gust of wind that forced him back several feet. "I'm Murugu you fool. And this time…" A cawing laugh escaped the giant bird as it took to the air, looping around the high ceiling, "you're going to die. You're going to die."

The first sweep caught him off guard. Unexpectedly sharp claws swiped at his cheek, slicing enough into the skin to draw blood before he managed to dodge completely.

"That was supposed to be your head. I should have known it would take me more than that to finish you. I won't make that mistake again." The annoying voice cackled over the steady flap of wings "But Suzaku isn't the only one who learned a few things during all those years in this tower."

"Oh… great…" He hissed, brown eyes widening as the green feathers suddenly sparked with yellow energy. How was it fair when the bird could turn into lightning?

XXX

The energy that sprang to life in the tower was what saved her in the end. If it hadn't appeared so suddenly Sayuri wouldn't have turned to the door and the swarm of cultivated humans coming down the stairs would have caught her by surprise. The problem now was that she was surrounded and being attacked from all sides. That was bearable but she was losing ground, being forced away from the door and Kazuki was upstairs with an unidentified and definitely dangerous demon. And with the constantly growing ranks of cultivated humans around her it would take her time her friend didn't have for her to reach him. Still she had to try.

With a renewed sense of purpose she returned to the task at hand. She lost track of how many bodies fell around her and how long she stood there slashing away at wave after wave of sickly green creatures. Her arm ached but she didn't dare switch from her dominate hand. They were already inching up on her, each wave was coming close and she couldn't seem to knock them back fast enough. Seconds and minutes drug by and still everywhere she managed to glance there were dozens maybe hundreds of cultivated humans pressing in on her. The exertion had caught up to her with Sayuri noticing until she caught herself slowing, her breath coming in ragged pants. And still the army of enemies advanced. They were too close for her whip to be entirely effective. In desperation she spun lashing out with her fists and feet wherever possible, knocking the advancing bodies back one at a time in an effort to gain enough distance to be able to use her whip against several at a time again, an effort that quickly became just keeping them at bay. A hand closed in her hair, ripping at the strands and forcing her head back.

She felt the heat from the flames an instant before they swept in front of and then around her, the scalding air pulling her hair up with it and the brilliant orange dazzling her eyes. She held her breath as the fire licked against her for a brief moment, hot but doing no damage, before vanishing as Sayuri fell to her knees and then forward onto her hands gasping almost desperately for breath.

Warm fingers caught her chin and tipped her face upward. Looking through the wisps of her red bangs Sayuri met hard crimson eyes. "Hi Uncle Hiei…" She breathed resignedly, waiting for his usual rebuke of the hated honorary title. And then the roof exploded.


	5. Three Monsters part 3

He sprang to the side at the last second as the bird dove beak first toward him, electricity crackling and hissing in the air. Rolling to a halt he bounced back to his feet and spun to see the thing diving from him again glowing in the darkened room its motion casting shifting shadows over the walls. Wide eyed Kazuki lowered and threw himself out of the way. Landing hard on his shoulder he slid a few feet across the dust and rubble littered floor. Pushing himself up he turned to face the bird again. How was he supposed to fight the damn thing if he couldn't get closed to it?

"You're fast, I'd nearly forgotten." Murugu spun back to him, enormous wings flapping loudly, sending the dust floating and whirling around him "That won't save you for long. I can't help wondering… are you faster than lightning?" A talon ended foot shot forward, energy streaking down to gather among her claws.

It almost missed him, but when it came to electricity almost wasn't nearly far enough. A bright yellow ark jumped across the space between him and the ball of energy soaring into the wall. For an instant it was only a tickle, a strange tingle shooting through his arm but in less than a second the searing pain seized every muscle in his body tensing them and holding them that way. Just as it ended another bolt hit him. Unable to move this time Kazuki was struck full force. His mind went blank and other than absolute agony all he was aware of was the overwhelming urge to scream. With his jaw clamped tightly shut that was impossible. In the momentary lull between bolts the brief second where clarity returned another thought occurred to him. Sayuri's whip would really come in handy about now.

Hovering above the ground now in a cocoon of orange yellow light with his surrounding going in and out of focus that thought sank in deep, echoed in his head. At least part of it did. Green eyes flashed in front of him, pulling him far enough from the pain for the beginnings of a thought to make sense. Sayuri was downstairs fighting off an army. And he couldn't even handle one big bird? What kind of pansy was he? He'd left her alone.

Something in the back of his mind, some jumbled piece of information was running through his thoughts. Something she'd said that refused to make sense. Berating himself mentally for his lack of focus Kazuki tried to turn his attention back to the task at hand. Wasn't finding a way to escape or kill this damn bird more important than trying to remember a conversation right now?

Brown eyes snapped open as the realization struck him. Energy. Fighting. People who were aware of it could fight with their spirit energy. Wasn't that what Sayuri had said? Wasn't that what she was doing? If Sayuri could use her spirit energy, if this bird could generate her own lightning why couldn't he use his? The only trick now was to figure out how.

Suddenly aware of his convulsing body and the pain still coursing through him Kazuki tried to pull in a deep breath but his lungs refused to comply. Energy. What had she said? If he could focus this would be a hell of a lot easier. Something about manifesting spirit energy. That was how it was used as a weapon. So how was he supposed to do that? Another stab of agony sent his brain fuzzy. Energy; he demanded of himself; think.

"You're going to die Yusuke Urameshi!"

His arm moved of its own will, drug upward by his right index finger. For the first time in what felt like days he remembered the ring. It glinted, drawing his eyes. The tines extending from the band brushed against his knuckle the cool metal a stark contrast to the overheated appendage. Bright blue light pierced the yellow haze around him. He stared in awe as he followed the blinding beams back to his fingertip. He could feel something building in his finger like the warm flesh was swelling even if it didn't look like it. The glow intensified rapidly over several seconds or was it slowly over several hours? Well he'd managed to tap into his energy but now what did he do with it? The thought had barely occurred to him when the whole glowing orb, much larger than he'd expected, exploded out of his finger filling the room with a brilliant almost white blue light. The cackling Murugu never saw it coming. "I'm not Yusuke." Kazuki snarled.

He was falling already as the cackling became screaming. The air was suddenly cool as the lightning vanished. His feet hit the ground but he barely felt it. His legs gave way shaking and unable to support him, arms limp and grateful muscles lax. The electrocution had stopped. Smiling a little Kazuki fell backward; his eyes open only long enough to see his energy ball blow through the tower ceiling and a rain of singed feathers falling down. He was no longer conscious when he actually hit the floor.

XXX

"No…" It was a breath that should have been a scream. Sayuri stared wide eyed at the orb of brilliant white light soaring into the hazy green clouds swirling overhead. She knew without a doubt that it had been Kazuki's. After months of almost daily contact she knew his energy signal, even if he hadn't been able to tap into it. And the only way Kazuki would have been able to produce a blast that large was to put everything he had into it. To put his life into it. She'd warned him hadn't she? Told him what would happen if he did that?

She was on her feet and running up the stairs before she realized she'd moved. Panic gripped something deep inside of her, tried to freeze her blood and Sayuri forced herself to go faster her pulse pounding in her ears. Kazuki's energy had never been exceptionally strong, no more powerful or weaker than any normal human. Now she couldn't sense him at all.

"Where are you going?" She hadn't realized he was following until his voice sounded close behind her. Still she didn't hesitate.

"I have to get to him… he may be dying." If she got there in time she might be able to help might be able to do something to save him.

"You should have thought of that before you brought a human here." He snapped, easily keeping pace with her as she raced around the bending stairs.

"I didn't bring him." Sayuri snapped back, glancing at him but not stopping "He fell through a breech. I came to get him out."

Hiei scoffed quietly. After all the years he'd spent around her father seeing through Sayuri's mask in training was easy. He could see the desperation she was trying to hide plainly in her green eyes. Whoever this human was Sayuri was clearly attatched. And if there was anything besides his features that she'd inherited from her father it was his sentimental stubborn streak. Short of being unconscious or dead the girl was not going to stop until she'd reached the tower. And Kurama probably wouldn't appreciate him returning his precious daughter anymore battered than she already was, not that he really cared of course. "The human is probably already dead you realize."

"Don't say that!" She stopped dead in the doorway her eyes sweeping frantically around the circular room and pausing on each pile of rubble in turn. She couldn't sense him. She could smell him here though, everywhere, but even as she stepped into the room trying to trace the scent she couldn't find the source.

"That's enough Sayuri. It's time to go. Your human is dead and we're done wasting time." Reaching out Hiei caught her arm and turned, dragging her toward the door.

"Let me go…" She ordered trying to wrench herself free of his grasp. His fingers only tightened around her arm. "I…"

XXX

Waking up _**hurt**_. Each part of his body took a turn reminding him of exactly why he'd lost consciousness in the first place and absolutely refused to move. His eyelids wouldn't even twitch toward opening. This was probably the closest he would ever come to knowing what an overcooked noodle felt like.

The soft scuff of shoes on stone echoed into his ears. Sayuri; he knew without needing to see or hear her somehow that she was the one walking into the room. But there was another… thing… with her. Something that was far larger and far more dangerous than she was. That meant Sayuri was probably in some kind of danger. And that meant he had to do something to help her.

Opening his eyes took so much concentration that he no longer heard the world around him until his eyelids had lifted. Once his ears began working again his blood ran cold.

"Sayuri… time to go…" The male voice was harsh and unfamiliar. That gave Kazuki enough power to push himself up. He had no idea how he had managed to move as fast as he did, how he managed to move at all but he was rushing across the room toward the blurred image of Sayuri and a shorter dark haired man who was dragging her by the arm, "You're… dead… wasting time…"

"Let me go…" She came in and out of focus as she struggled against the shorter cloaked but not hooded figure's grip, "I…" Sayuri's eyes widened as she spun to the side and faced him, "NO…!" She half shouted as with a final burst of speed Kazuki threw the full force of his weight into the man's back.

Thinking he was dealing with just another of the stubborn fourteen-year-old's refusals Hiei was about to snap something at her to silence her arguments for the brief second before he felt it. There was something familiar about the energy that sprang up suddenly behind him, something he recognized but couldn't place. It was human that was the most he could analyze in the split second before something hard and heavy collided with his back.

She watched as her father's friend fell toward the ground as if in slow motion; heard the surprised grunt that escaped him as his head hit the stone floor. She blinked and the world returned to real time right away. "What were you thinking?" Sayuri demanded reaching down to drag Kazuki off the black clad shape he'd collapsed on. An entire lifetime spent around the fire apparition had taught her several things about him; one of them that while he was tolerant toward humans he wasn't exceptionally fond of them. Another was that he had a temper and finally that anyone stupid enough to attack him should expect no mercy. Kazuki may have just signed his death warrant. The crackling energy and growl escaping from the older demon hinted strongly that she was right. "Come on…" She ordered as she draped his arm around her shoulders and half carrying Kazuki she ran for it.

The world around him was still fuzzy and moving so fast he could barely make sense of any of it. All he knew was that Sayuri was leading him somewhere, well dragging him somewhere. They were to the door when he felt it; something behind him that took a hold of his body and practically forced him turn back into the tower room. The glare the man kneeling on the floor directed at him nearly made Kazuki miss a step. Then the man's narrowed red eyes widened and his spiked up rippling black hair stilled. Sayuri's hair brushed his cheek as she turned to glance back. "Stop staring and run!" The slight edge of panic in her voice surprised him. Complying Kazuki turned back and started running alongside her, barely feeling his legs beneath him as he leaned heavily against the girl at his side. "I can't believe you did that what were you thinking?" She rambled nervously leaving the stairs and starting off across the stone walkway.

"That I was saving you. That jerk was going to drag you off and kill you."

"What?" She wanted to stop and yell at him, but if border patrol, or someone else, caught up to them now Kazuki would still be in trouble and now that he'd assaulted their commander his treatment would be far from gentle. They might even leave him here, or worse. Killing a human in demon world wasn't technically a crime after all. But would her uncle kill him? Sure he disliked humans, plenty of demons did, but what he do to Kazuki for attacking him? Once they drug him away would she ever see her friend again?

They were running faster than he'd thought was possible, but Kazuki barely noticed. He was too busy trying to focus on Sayuri's face. She looked calm enough but there was something about her eyes that bothered him. She looked almost… scared.

XXX

He watched them vanish through the door into the stairs beyond without moving to follow. Almost staggering to his feet Hiei stared at the place the face had vanished from in a stunned stupor, "Yusuke…" He hissed, still staring. But the energy had been human.


	6. Topside

_D101- just for you for being such a faithful reviewer two updates in one day :)_

* * *

If the streets hadn't been deserted Kazuki wouldn't have agreed to keep going leaning on Sayuri's shoulder. It wasn't that bad really, having an arm around her shoulders, hers wrapped around his waist. It was actually kind of nice, but he wasn't about to be seen in public being carried around by a girl. At least his eyes and ears were working at the same time and he could feel all of his body again, every throbbing piece. Despite the pain he chose to see it as progress.

"Are you okay?" Sayuri asked quietly, breaking the silence for the first time in nearly ten minutes.

"Yeah I'm just…adjusting. I kept thinking I'd just wake up, but this is all real isn't it?"

"Do you need to stop for a second?" She nodded toward a bench and lowered him onto it even after he shook his head. She sat beside him, leaning back with her legs outstretched and crossed at the ankle her arms crossed over her midsection.

"It's late. I didn't think we were gone that long." it had to be after three in the morning easy.

"Longer than you think." She tipped her head back staring up at the stars, "Time feels like it runs a little differently on the other side. We've been gone for days." The laughter caught her by surprise. She turned to him, watched Kazuki brace himself on his knees as he laughed, "What's so funny?"

"It's just so damn normal." He managed after a minute, "as far as you're concerned we might as well be walking back from the arcade or something. Not limping back from some other world."

"It is normal for me." Sayuri answered, "I've know about it all my life, it's only new for you." She smiled at his continuing laughter before turning away. The glint of something metallic in the corner of her eye halted her and instinctively Sayuri turned in search of the source. It took only a moment to find it. "Where'd you get this?" She demanded lifting Kazuki's hand to slip the brass ring off of his finger. The tines sparkled in the glow of a distant streetlight.

He'd almost forgotten about the ring. Watching Sayuri examine it so intensely was kind of funny. "Some old woman dropped it. I was trying to give it back when I fell through that… what did you call it?"

"Breech…" She answered absently, staring at the ring in her palm. If he'd been wearing this it was no wonder he was so drained.

"Yeah, last time I do anything nice. Try to return an old lady's ring and you end up in a whole 'nother world. Next time she just get a new one."

"No she couldn't." Sayuri held up the ring between them, "This is a concentration ring. There are only a handful of these in existence and practically none in circulation. They're incredibly rare…"

"Yeah, sure they are." He muttered sarcastically, "Then why do I already have one at home?"

"There is no way you already had a concentration ring."

"Sure I do." He snatched the ring back from her, "It took me a while to recognize it, but I knew I'd seen one of these before. I have a ring just like this in a box of my dad's old junk in my closet."

"In a box…?" Her green eyes darted between him and the ring for a long second, "Your Dad's…?"

"Look if it's such a big deal I can show you the damn thing."

XXX

Kazuki had never been happier to get back to the apartment in his life. He was equally glad to find out his grandmother was gone. The last thing he needed at the moment was to be given the third degree about bringing home a girl in the middle of the night.

Half way across the entrance he realized she wasn't following and turned back to find Sayuri hovering in the doorway. "What do demons have to be invited before they can come into someone's house?"

"No, but it's polite to."

Rolling his eyes Kazuki turned away from her to continue limping across the room. "Just get in here already." The door closed quietly behind him and he nearly jumped when without a sound she slipped back under his arm.

"You look like you're about to collapse." She explained softly, easily taking part of his weight and continued forward, "Which one's yours?"

He peeled away from her once they'd entered the room and hobbled over to the closet. It wasn't hard to find the dusty cardboard box he'd stuffed in the corner of the top shelf, actually retrieving it was the difficult part. Box in hand he turned back into the room and joined Sayuri sitting on the bed.

"So this stuff was your father's?" She asked over the complaining springs as he shifted back and placed the box between them. He'd told her several times about his mom, prematurely dead mothers were of the things they had in common but never spoke about. Kazuki had not mentioned his father once in the time she'd known him and she'd known better than to ask.

"Yeah, this used to be his room." He unfolded the crossed flaps sending a cloud of dust into the air that made both of them cough a few times. "He left all this here."

"Why…?" She froze too close to the personal question and went quickly to digging into the box instead, purposely avoiding his eyes as she started unpacking wadded up shirts and jeans and a single white tennis shoe.

"What?" He asked quietly watching her intently as she reorganized items on the bed.

It wasn't what she wanted to ask, but he was waiting for something. "You boxed everything of his up… why not keep something to remember him by?"

"I never knew him, so how could I remember him?" Kazuki shrugged, "So what's the point in having his crap lying around?"

"But you didn't throw it away?"

"What's with all the questions all of a sudden?" His glares never seemed to have any effect on her. Most people would cower and run away, Sayuri only blinked. "Look," He said suddenly disarmed, "The guy disappeared before I was born. I've never met him; don't know a damned thing about him. He could be dead for all I know."

"I see…" She didn't tell him she was sorry. Any sympathy would be taken as pity and Kazuki wouldn't take that well. Reaching back into the box her fingers landed on something cold and hard. She followed the shallow grooves in the surface to the rounded edge and slipped her hand beneath it, lifted the metal case.

"The ring's in that."

"A briefcase…?" One thin red eyebrow arched as Sayuri pushed aside the empty box and put the case in its place. The stiff latch opened with a spectacular crack and the hinges creaked when the heavy lid was lifted. A sharp gasp escaped her and Sayuri's hands jerked back from the case, her entire body stiff and her eyes almost perfect circles.

"What's your problem?"

"You have no idea what this is do you?" Surprise vanished to be replaced by an almost whimsical smile, "I don't believe it…"

"Don't believe what?" He demanded, looking at the jumble of items in the lower compartment. "Why are you so worked up over some old junk?"

"This isn't junk." Sayuri whispered, lifting a round plastic looking lens in her fingers, "It's a detective's tool kit. You're father must have been a spirit detective."

"A spirit detective…" He blinked at her, "What the hell is that?"

Sayuri sighed. "There was usually only one at a time. Powerful humans who worked for spirit world before the barrier was taken down and the border patrol and new laws were made. It was before I was born so I don't know that much about it. But spirit detectives… they were what demons were supposed to be afraid of. If you stepped out of line seriously enough they would hunt you down and kill you." She placed the lens delicately back in the case, "At least if you were a demon."

Kazuki glared at her. "Are you kidding? You really expect me to believe that deadbeat was some kind of demon fighting good guy? And this stuff helped him do that?" Reaching over the back of the case he lifted a plastic watch with a broken clasp, "its junk and half of its broken."

"They wouldn't want it to stick out too much… and it's just out of place." Sayuri murmured already busy resettling the various tools into their set in compartment in the black foam pad on the briefcase's bottom half.

"You're nuts Sayuri." Scoffing he turned away and flopped back onto the mattress, "I always figured you were weird, but you've totally lost it haven't you? Demons maybe, I saw that myself, but spirit detectives…"

"I suppose you're looking for a demonstration?"

"If you're going to slash at me with that whip thing again…" He paused staring at the unmarked black plastic case in her hands, "What are you going to do with a blank video tape?" When she only cocked her head to the side with that infuriating indulgently questioning look he rolled his eyes, "I'm telling you it's nothing but snow."

"Well… let's double check." As she stood Sayuri ran her finger over the tiny emblem on the side of the video cassette's casing. Maybe it had looked like snow before, but with his spirit awareness triggered now Kazuki might be able to see what was recorded on the tape with spirit world's seal. "Do you have a VCR?"

"Somewhere…" He didn't want to but forced himself to stand. Really all he wanted was to sleep for a week. With Sayuri staring at him though he knew it was either retrieve the stored VCR or leave her to do it herself. "I think it's in Grandma's closet. I'll go get it."

She was sitting on the couch in the living room when he returned from the abyss of his grandmother's bedroom with the large black box and its cords balanced in his arms. Dropping onto the floor in front of the TV he started sorting through cords. "How old is this picture? I've never seen your hair like this."

He knew without turning around exactly what would be in her hands. Why did she keep dragging that thing out into the living room? His grandmother had to be the most annoying person in existence. "Because that isn't me… Sayuri Minamino, meet Yusuke Urameshi."

"Your dad…?" She asked almost hesitantly. She didn't comment on the shocking resemblance when he nodded. From the set of his shoulders and the tightness of his movements that was probably a sore subject for him. Watching him reconnect the battered VCR Sayuri couldn't help wondering how she would have felt if she hadn't known her father. Just the idea sent a pang through her. She hated when he was gone for a few days, a lifetime would have been unbearable.

"Alright, let's play this damn thing so I can get some sleep." He half snapped before plugging the tape into the slot and pressing play.

"Snarl… Snarl…"

Wide eyed Kazuki stared at the horned creature behind the giant 'e' in the picture, "What the…"

"Ogre…" Sayuri answered off handedly, pointing him back to the screen just as a beam of light illuminated the back of a red chair.

"Welcome… how do you like my video?" Tracking lines cut across the face of a child in a large hat with a blue pacifier dangling from his lips.

"I knew it!" Sayuri hissed triumphantly. He didn't like the almost manic glint in her eyes, the kind she usually only got when doing something she'd been told was impossible or getting away with breaking an exceptionally large rule without getting caught.

"Knew what?" He demanded pausing the tape to look at her. If Sayuri had known about the tape, had come to the apartment or had any chance of stumbling across it he would have suspected a prank, but she'd never been here before and he'd never told anyone about the video so that was impossible.

"That's Koenma." She sighed at the confused look on his face, "He's the prince of spirit world…"

"He's in diapers. This is some weird kid's movie or something that's all."

"Some kid's movie…? Push play and we'll see."

Anything to make her stop glaring like that… "The great Koenma, ruler of the spirit world," So it was a movie she'd seen before, must have recognized the name from the opening credits, "Has yet another important case for you." Well so much for that theory.

"He was in charge of spirit detectives… maybe is, I don't know if there is one now." Sayuri fell silent as the tape continued.

"This mission will be another doozy. Hopefully you will survive." A pudgy finger rose, "By the way don't worry about people coming into the room. This video is specially encrypted and will appear as annoying fuzz to anyone without heightened spirit awareness…" That could explain why he'd never been able to see it before. The picture jumped and rolled over the screen several times before settling back in place. He remember the VCR glitching and nearly destroying the tape a couple times when he tried to watch it as a kid, maybe it had done more damage than he'd thought. "Now your mission is search and rescue, except without the searching. Watch my magic snap." The forest took over the screen panning slowly, "Spirit world intelligence reports the captive is being held in a mountain stronghold about two hundred miles from your city. Not being of driving age yourself you will have to take the bus. The mountain is a base of criminal activity. Normally I don't mind that but the humans have made ties with some very nasty demons…"

"What happened?!" Kazuki demanded as the picture jumped again before the distorted image vanished into grey static.

"The tape must be damaged." Sayuri joined him kneeling on the floor, "it's too bad you might have learned something about him."

"I already did." Kazuki murmured, "I thought he was nothing but an asshole, looks like he might not have been all bad."

She didn't comment on that statement. Telling him that being a spirit detective didn't automatically make someone a good person would probably have done more harm than good. It wasn't worth wiping away that trace of a smile that had started to form on his face. She'd been part of fracturing Kazuki's world today; maybe if this brought some good out of it this might help make up for that a little. She saw Kazuki's finger fly back to the pause botton and glanced up at the TV his eyes were glued to.

The screen had been paused on what could only be a map. A red line ran from what she assumed to be the city to a nearly blank green patch. Next to a small 'x' a set of coordinates and some writing that had to be a bus route and stop were printing in neat lettering. "That must be where the stronghold was."

"I want to go there."

"You're joking right?" She turned to stare at him, "It's two hundred miles." He had that look again. Sayuri knew even as she made her argument that he wasn't going to listen, but she said it anyway. "If the place is even still there it's probably full of criminals."

"So you're a demon."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Kazuki spun to look at her, that half grin on his face that made her breathing hitch just a little, "Come on you just got me through some castle deathtrap in a world full of demons and you're scared of a little bus ride?" He challenged.

"It's hardly little and I'm more worried about what's going to happen when we get there."

"You tight rope walked over a hundred foot drop and I killed a giant freaking bird. Compared to that this is going to be boring as hell..."

"Why do you even want to go? This tape is ancient; there might not even be anything there."

"I'm going. Do you want to come with me or not?"

She'd known arguing wouldn't do any good. "Kazuki…"

"I've learned more about him in the last five minutes than I ever knew about him before. Maybe if I go to this place I can figure out something else or…"

"Kazuki…" She silenced him by shoving the cassette into his hands, "I have to get some stuff from home before anyone shows up there looking for me and then we can look into tickets."

"Oh… right… are you going to be in serious trouble because of… the whole thing?"

Sayuri paused at the door. "If we do this there's no turning back half way and coming home. When my dad get's home and I'm gone there's no way I'm getting past him again so we don't get to try a second time." There was also no way she could just let him go off on his own. She'd known the minute he started talking about going that she would be as well, "So all or nothing." She finished quietly.

Kazuki held her gaze for a moment, "I'm in, even if there's nothing there."

"Alright, pack up and we'll go look into tickets when I get back."

XXX

She was going to be dead the minute either her father or her uncle caught up to her. Quickly Sayuri shoved her clothing into her emptied school backpack. Why had she agreed to this? Wasn't she already in enough trouble as it was? But she just couldn't let him go running off alone, and there was something else. He hadn't been kidding about this. Kazuki was never serious, he was always joking or putting up some kind of act he was never as open as somber as he had been when talking about his father. She couldn't just leave him to handle it alone when it was that important.

Zipping the bag closed she swung it onto her shoulders, but paused before leaving the room, her eyes glued to the notebook she'd left on her desk. Flipping it open to a blank page in the middle she grabbed her brightest colored pen and scribbled a note. Leaving the book and pen on the desk she left the room and raced down the stairs and nearly to the front door before stopping again. It was stupid to spend any more time than necessary in the house when Hiei could turn up any minute looking for her. She knew that, but dropped her backpack by the door anyway. She stripped off her sweatshirt and threw it over the banister on her way to opening the closet on the other side of the entry way. She found what she was looking for hanging at the far end of the rack inside the closet, nearly hidden in the folds of fabric. Slipping the heavier jacket on she collected her backpack and continued on her path out the door, taking the extra second to close and lock it purely out of habit before racing away up the street without a glance back.

XXX

At least he wasn't exhausted anymore. Kazuki wasn't really sure why but it made packing easier so he wasn't complaining. If you could call tossing wadded up clothes into a backpack packing, but it was the closest to it that he got. After a second of consideration he threw the items in the lower part of the still open briefcase into his backpack, closed it and was headed toward the door when someone knocked on it.

XXX

"But… it couldn't have been…" The blue haired woman's pink eyes were nearly perfect circles. She dropped onto the couch still staring at the shorter dark haired demon across the room.

"I know what I saw." Hiei half snarled, stalking toward the window. He'd been through it himself for the last several hours it had taken to return from maze castle to the human world and collect them, certain at first that he must have been mistaken himself. Every time it was the same. The person Sayuri had pulled through the doorway was Yusuke.

"Are you sure?" Kuwabara had stopped pacing behind the couch to lean on it's back next to Botan's head. "Think really hard Hiei, could you have been hallucinating or something? Did you hit your head?" Hiei only glared at him and went back to the window.

"What about Sayuri? Don't you have any idea where she might have gone?" Botan asked quietly, soft eyes almost desperate with concern.

"No." He answered simply because he hated giving the answer as much as they hated hearing it. If there was anyone who knew how to evade his Jagan eye it was Sayuri. She'd figured out the right wards to use years ago just to prove she could. That she was using them proved she didn't want to be found. If she was in trouble she would have removed them and done something to alert someone. She was clever after all. He didn't feel the need to reassure the others with that knowledge.

"And you're _sure_ it was…?" The name hung unspoken but heard by all.

"Yes." He repeated for probably the twentieth time. He had a hard enough time thinking without their constant interruptions. Where would Sayuri have gone? Where would _he_ have taken her? He could hardly begin to guess, but if they'd crossed the border someone would have informed him so they must still be on this side.

"We have another problem though…" Botan murmured, looking up from her knotted hands, "Which of us is going to tell Kurama?"

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Kuwabara answered looking up at the door just as a blur of movement passed it. The thud of a door opening preceded the group up the stairs. They raced together up the stairs and came to a halt in the doorway, watching a clearly agitated Kurama stalk toward the carefully made bed on the far side of the room.

"What happened?" He breathed turning back to them, his deathly quiet whisper terrifying and tired at the same time as it carried a frigid shiver through the room.

XXX

"So just how much trouble are you going to be in when we get back?" he asked quietly.

Bundled in the oversized orange jacket Sayuri had turned sideways in her seat, the back of her head rested against the window. With her eyes closed she pulled in a long breath and released a deep sigh, "Do you have a suit?"

"Yeah… what's that got to do with anything?" In his own seat on the opposite side of the almost empty bus Kazuki was sitting up fully, playing with a fraying string from his battered backpack.

"Good, you can wear it to my grave." Her green eyes were still surprisingly vivid despite the dim glow of the running lights.

Normally he would have laughed at that, but knowing what he did now Kazuki was actually concerned for a fraction of a second, "You're Dad won't really… you know…"

She laughed and buried her nose in the jacket's collar, "No Dad won't really kill me, just find a way to make me wish he would. And probably ground me until I am."

"I didn't even think about that…"

"Don't." Stretching her legs out on the empty seat next to her Sayuri met his eyes, "I don't want to. It's too late for second thoughts. All or nothing remember?"

"Yeah… you're right. We've got some time before we get to our stop. Better get some rest."

She watched him settle back into his seat with his eyes closed, the flash of passing streetlights illuminating him for seconds at a time. Sayuri couldn't help smiling a little under her coat. Even if her father killed her, if Kazuki learned something about his own, if a trace of the haunting sadness he had been trying to pretend hadn't been there when talking about his father could be taken away… well then it was worth it.

XXX

"I asked you to look in on her Hiei not post yourself as an armed guard outside her window." Kurama sighed, "Of course she snuck out."

"I think you're missing the important part here Kurama." Kuwabara had started pacing around the room nearly the moment they'd entered it.

"No I'm not. It isn't possible that that was Yusuke. Hiei you must have been mistaken." He ignored Hiei's scowl in favor of staring at the polished surface of his kitchen table as he claimed one of the seats. "Sayuri may be reckless, but she's far from stupid. Even if Yusuke had come back she would not have willingly run off with a strange 's' class demon."

"Yusuke isn't a stranger." Botan defended sharply.

"He is to Sayuri." Kurama reminded her gently, "Yusuke has been gone for fifteen years. He vanished before she was born. I doubt she's ever so much as heard his name."

"Who else would know about the portal to maze castle?" Kuwabara cut across, "Maybe Sayuri met him somewhere else and…"

"If Yusuke had come back wouldn't someone have known?" Kurama asked looking around at them all, "Kuwabara wouldn't you have felt it?"

"Well… yeah I guess…"

Kurama ignored their stares as he stood and made his way out of the room again. This was hardly the first Yusuke sighting they had had since their friend had just taken off and never returned more than a decade before, just the first in a very long time. He collected the cast off sweatshirt resting over the banister on his way up the stairs. She must have left in a hurry; normally his daughter was far from messy. Stepping into Sayuri's far too lifeless bedroom he was half hoping she'd snuck back in and would be pretending nothing happened when he entered but nothing had changed in the few minutes he'd been downstairs. Kurama had deposited the light garment safely in the closet and turned back into the room when his eyes landed on the other thing out of place. One of Sayuri's favorite pens was lying discarded on the floor. He was in the process of putting it back on the desk when his eyes landed on the open notebook and the note in Sayuri's neat handwriting under the large heady of "SORRY" in the same bright blue ink as the pen he was holding. Smiling a little at the heart she'd drawn by her name at the bottom of the page and picked up the notebook.

The three in the kitchen were still arguing amongst themselves when Kurama returned, finished with Sayuri's note and flicking through the other pages. She doodled in the corners of her notes as well as on full pages, leaving pages of flowers and animals and random objects tucked between her notes and assignments. He was nearly to the front of the book when he stopped, unable to turn another page.

The image he was staring at might have been a photo of Yusuke. Each line of the drawing was obviously done with great care. She'd taken a very long time to depict the boy sitting beneath a tree, leaning against the cautiously rendered trunk with his arms crossed behind his head and his eyes closed. The scene was surrounded by a frame of vines and intricately detailed blossoms. Watching for their reactions he dropped the notebook on the table with a loud thud. Instantly all eyes were drawn to it. "It seems we were wrong to question Hiei's eyes."

XXX


	7. The Search begins

It had to be against the law somewhere to be up at this time of morning. Dawn was barely touching the sky as Kazuki followed an entirely too alert Sayuri down the steps out of the bus. They stepped onto a concrete slab set in the middle of a sea of grass. The bulb in the streetlight must have burned out but the low morning light revealed a faded but solid blue painted bench and the traces of graffiti that hadn't been quite scrubbed off its plastic weather shield. It could have been a lot worse; Kazuki reasoned as he headed for the bench and dropped his backpack on it. Glancing over his shoulder he watched Sayuri wave cheerfully to the driver as the bus set off down the battered stretch of road before she came to join him. "I know you told me we'd have to do some walking but this is ridiculous. I can't even see the damn place." He grumbled, glaring disdainfully at the tree line.

"Well you're certainly pleasant in the morning." Sayuri answered brightly. She zipped her coat against the morning chill and took a moment to survey what she could see of the forest. "I guess we should get started."

"You know where we're going?" Kazuki swung his backpack onto his shoulders and followed her across the dew coated grass toward the shadows between the towering trees.

"Sure I do…"

"Well?" He demanded when she didn't offer any more information.

"Up the mountain…" Sayuri mocked with a teasing grin over her shoulder.

"Oh yeah, this is going to be _tons_ of fun." He muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes at the back of her head, "A nature walk with mistress sarcasm…"

"You realize I can hear you don't you?"

"Of course you can…"

XXX

He _**hated **_not doing anything. Normally taking the time to think was his reaction to things, rushing into some form of action without thinking it through was the last thing he would do. Right now every instinct Kurama possessed was screaming at him to do something; anything to find his wayward daughter and bring her back with him where she belonged.

Instead he sat at the kitchen table over a long cold cup of tea feeling useless and agitated and watching the daylight creep across the room as morning progressed normally outside of the house. This wasn't the first time Sayuri had snuck out and gone missing, but she had always returned within a few hours, by nightfall at least, acting as if she'd never been gone. With Hiei checking up on her he hadn't been overly concerned about Sayuri during his absence. Maybe he should have been. From this moment on, regardless of the circumstances, whenever he had to leave town the girl was staying with her grandmother; the only person she mostly behaved for. He had thought it would be easier for his aging mother to not have to worry about watching the energetic and restless teen. Boredom and Sayuri was a match that never ended very well, at home she should have been well occupied.

He stirred the chilled liquid more for the sake of the soothing motion than anything else. She would have been up and coming down to breakfast by now on a normal day. The silence of the house bothered him. It wasn't that much louder when she was there, it just felt… lifeless… without her, too large and empty. Was this how his mother had felt all those times he had disappeared for days at a time? He really owed her another apology.

"Still no luck then?" He didn't look up as Hiei reentered the room and the silence the other demon maintained was all the answer he needed. As the only child belonging to any of their group of friends Sayuri had been instantly adored by all of them, but her attachment to Hiei, while only a little surprising, had been the most profound. There were times he thought it was the only reason they saw the apparition on a regular basis at all. It was also telling that Hiei had joined him sitting at the table. "She wanted me to tell you she was very sorry about what happened at the tower. That it was a misunderstanding and she hopes you aren't too angry with her." He chuckled softly, "Uncle Hiei? Does she really still call you that?" The glare on Hiei's face deepened and Kurama sighed. "Botan went to spirit world to see if anyone has learned anything about Yusuke's supposed whereabouts, and Kuwabara has gone to check with Yukina, though if either Yusuke or Sayuri had shown up at the compound I'm certain she would have contacted us. Either way they're supposed to be back here this afternoon to tell us if they've found anything." And in the meantime; Kurama stared at the table and stirred his tea.

XXX

"Do you think we're even close?" He whined watching her intently across the small campfire, still in the process of learning all her minute facial expressions that he had learned often said more than she did he didn't want to miss anything. He expected it when she shrugged without looking up from the fire to meet his eyes. He took that to mean no. "It looked a lot smaller on the map…" He grouched glaring at the trees around the clearing they'd stopped in.

"Things usually do." Sayuri answered quietly. Hidden inside her coat her fingers twisted in the fuzzy fleece lining. Her father would have gotten home today, and for the first time she could remember she hadn't been there to greet him. How badly might that have upset him? Would he be angry? Hurt? Was he worried? She'd left a note, but had he gotten it? She nearly had to physically shake herself to banish the melancholy thoughts. Looking up she found Kazuki had drifted off to sleep while she'd been lost in her thoughts. Already homesick and left to her own devices Sayuri had a far harder time falling asleep.

XXX

"Botan isn't back yet?" Kuwabara strolled into the house without knocking. They never did before coming in anymore. Years ago with Kurama a new single parent and often stuck at home his house had become the unofficial meeting place of the group. Over the intervening years it had remained that way, mostly because the central location was far easier and faster to reach than the mountain compound Yukina was now the sole constant occupant of. They all knew where the spare key was kept and what other security measures Kurama had put in place, and were all comfortable with walking in before being invited.

"No we haven't heard from her yet."

"Oh…" He moved quickly around the living room to drop onto the sofa, "Yukina says no one's been up there. She hasn't seen Sayuri in months and she almost fainted when I said we thought she might be with Yusuke. She hasn't seen him or Puu and nothing in his old room up there has been touched."

"It was a long shot." Kurama admitted, "Even if he wasn't here at the time Yusuke must know Genkai's gone…" After all this time it was very possible that Yusuke had died as well, but they had for years chosen to ignore that and in the very rare occurrence that he was mentioned always spoke of him as alive, "I don't know that he would have gone there considering."

"If it is him why would he take off with Sayuri? I mean why not look up one of us?" Kuwabara burst out, glowering at the coffee table now as he leaned forward to brace his chin on his hands.

"I've been wondering that myself." He answered quietly, glad to have his thoughts echoed, "She must have known him for some time to go willingly…"

"Yeah and Urameshi may not be the most observant guy but Sayuri looks enough like you that even he would have to notice it."

"It doesn't make sense on either count. I can't say why Sayuri might have gone with him, or why Yusuke would have taken her along."

Kuwabara was silent for only a second, staring, "Oh man… I didn't even think to ask if you're okay…"

"It's alright." He placated with a smile, "Sayuri is capable of taking care of herself, we've all seen to that. And if it is Yusuke I… have to trust that if he took her he'll bring her back safely." And then he could strangle him and start thinking of a way to surreptitiously plant a tracking device in her that would keep this from ever happening again.

"So do we wait around for Botan or start trying to look for ourselves?"

"For now knowing as little as we do there isn't much we can do." And he hated admitting that.

XXX

It had taken them most of a second day of searching but will into the afternoon they finally found it. The building was several stories high, sort of 'L' shaped and sheltered by even larger trees that sat close to the brick wall surrounding it, their branches brushing the patchy green roof. "This place looks like it was a war zone…" Kazuki murmured, picking his way around the multiple craters toward the fractured opening in the wall.

Sayuri paused to examine a chunk of brick and deeply rusted metal that looked like it might have been a bar. Probably a part of the half missing gate she concluded and followed Kazuki toward the opening. "It might have been."

"And you were worried? This place is abandoned." He announced once they'd stepped onto the cracked light stone walkway inside the gateway.

"Just because it looks empty doesn't mean it is." She warned, surveying the waist high grass on either side of the walkway. "Are you satisfied…?" Meaning to ask if they could go now, Sayuri trailed off as something in the top window of the tower-like structure on the left side of the building drew her attention.

"Let's go inside." He started forward before she could argue, "And don't even start with the 'it's dangerous' thing cause… " He glanced back and froze staring at the empty space.

"Are you coming or not?" Turning back he watched Sayuri make her way around the far side of the ring of grass.

"Well that's a change of heart." He murmured and taking the other side of the looping path started to head for the front of the house. They met at the end and exchanging a glance but no words climbed a set of stairs behind a brick wall overgrown with ivy.

The front door had been knocked off it's hinges and laid in splinters on the porch at the top of the stairs. Sayuri marched directly across the pieces without pausing and into the house. Kazuki took the extra seconds to knock the chunks of wood and slivers of glass out of his way before following.

The hallway they entered was enormous. Kazuki released a low whistle as he admired the high ceiling and thick carpet that had retained its deep burgundy color despite years of neglect. "Why would anyone just take off and ditch a place like this?" Even covered with dust and cracks the place held an illusion of faded glory. Whoever had owned the place must have been loaded. Ignoring the bits of plaster crumbling from holes in the ceiling and the pieces under his feet grinding into the carpet he continued in.

"You're still assuming it's empty." She whispered.

"Come on Sayuri, look around." Further up the hall than she was Kazuki spun around to face her where she'd remained by the doorway. "It's a dump. It may be a nice dump, but still…"

"Just… Don't let anything sneak up behind you." She paused on her way past him to smile and place her hand on his shoulder, "I'm going upstairs for a minute. I'll catch up with you later." It was amazing how fast she could move without making a sound. In the time it took him to turn around Sayuri was already down the hall and rounding the far corner.

"Sure… see ya later!" He called, and watched the corner she'd disappeared around for a moment before starting back down the hall again. At the end where she'd gone right he shook his head at the empty hall and decided to go left instead.

The further he got into this place the more over decorated it was. The green paneled walls were lined with gold plating that glinted in the places it wasn't covered with dust or corroded by age. What was it with people and green walls anyway? Apparently it was a lot more common than he'd thought. Just like exploring wasn't nearly as exciting as he'd been expecting. Rounding another corner Kazuki found himself in a new stretch of bare hallway completely lacking doors. Who had a house full of hallways with no rooms?

He was probably half way down when he spotted it and paused to look. An entire section of the wall had been practically demolished. There had to be hundreds of round, fist sized indents had been imprinted in the wall across from another turn off. Glancing quickly down the corridor that would be behind him Kazuki moved closer to the wall and ran his finger around one of the circles near the edge of the domed shape. "Weird taste in artwork I guess." He muttered, looking up at the undamaged patch in the center of the cracked wall.

There had to something worth looking at in this house other than crumbling plaster. Three halls later the ceiling had collapsed as well as part of the wall. Other than more wood being added to the paneling there was nothing new. The only doorway he'd seen so far was at the far end of a hallway and opened into a thin dark stairway. "Ooh… a basement." He announced sarcastically, but with nowhere else to go but back through the maze of empty halls he was very bored with maybe the basement wouldn't be so bad.

XXX

Spiral staircases… Why did every place they went have to have long windowless spiral staircases? Did people just have some bias against landings that she didn't know about?

It hadn't taken Sayuri long to find the stairs leading up the tower and it took her less time to reach the top of them. Skidding to a halt on the tile floor her eyes were immediately pulled to the thick brown furs hanging on pegs in the wall off to her right. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she turned instead to the heavy metal door across the small landing. Trying the handle she found it and the several deadbolts that would have locked it from this side disengaged and stepped through into a large square room.

The walls looked to be made of concrete as did the uncarpeted floor, and both were completely bare. The far end of the room had been sealed off by a wall of dust covered but not rusted metal bars; a door in the center of them had been left open. Still examining the bars for signs of damage she moved into the cell before tearing her eyes away and focusing instead on the sole piece of furniture in the room.

The faded cushions had probably been red once, but a layer of dust and years of exposure to the elements coming in through the glassless window had turned them a sort of muddy maroon that was closer to brown. The wooden frame appeared fragile, in places stained with dark patches of water damage. Too heavy a touch might destroy the whole thing. Remembering what had brought her Sayuri turned her gaze to the diagonal metal lattice in the window and the small slip of paper attached to it. Glancing down she found dozens of identical rectangles in various stages of destruction wadded together in the corner and along the wall. Leaving them where they rested she reached out and peeled the remaining talisman card free, folded it carefully and stowed it in her pocket. Her curiosity satisfied she left the room to go in search of Kazuki.

XXX

Whatever this guy had been into it could _not_ have been normal. Kazuki's footsteps echoed dully back to him as he strolled down a long aisle lined with cages of every size he could imagine, further back into the room he could see the beginnings of several more rows.

The whole room stank more than he could think of a way to describe. It still made his eyes water through the sleeve he'd wadded up and pressed to his nose. The stink itself would have been enough to make him turn back if it weren't for the noise. It wasn't loud or jarring, just a constant sort of muffled thump. It didn't change the longer he listened, didn't speed up or slow down, didn't pause only got fractionally louder the further he walked. So he must have been going the right direction. The wall he was walking along changed suddenly, from concrete to metal framework and glass. Thick purple bands of discoloration stained the windows surface. Straining to see through it Kazuki recoiled from two piles of bones resting on the stain splattered floor; definitely not normal then.

The banging sound drew his attention away from the enormous skeleton in the cell and back to what he'd been doing. Knowing now what to expect in them Kazuki did his best to avoid looking into any of the cages directly as he passed. Staring straight ahead he walked, listening to the thumping as closely as he was able.

It wasn't a change in the sound that made him look up, just a feeling that he should. The wall where he stopped was glass as well, but not covered in the uneven purple film the last had been. There were bones though, two sets of almost human looking skeletons in one corner one propped up against the wall and the other stretched out and slightly disconnected on the floor. His eyes panned slowly along the far wall, pausing when they landed on something almost purple and… squishy, little peels of something a light yellow had been pealed back from the glistening lump and purple congealed liquid was oozing onto the floor. Ripping his eyes away from the mass he finished surveying the room on the other side of the glass.

He inhaled sharply when he found the source of the sound he'd been following. It was huddled in the far corner, skeletal arms wrapped around knees encased in tattered pants he could not identify the original color of. Grey white skin was pulled taunt over ridges of bone, if he'd taken the time Kazuki probably would have been able to count every bump in the creature's spine. It was rocking back and forth, pounding it's bald head into the cracked rock wall. Raising his hand Kazuki knocked as hard as he dared on the glass. It must have been thicker than it looked because the creature didn't even flinch.

Gritting his teeth he looked around at the bone filled cages. Someone had just left all these things here locked up like this to die. How long had that thing been here? "Don't worry pal, I'll get you out." He murmured to the oblivious thing, that had to be some kind of demon, as he rushed to the metal framed door set in the center of a glass panel. He tried the handle without thinking and only noticed the keypad next to it when it refused to budge. It didn't look like there was a slot for a key card, and for a second he considered trying to guess the code, but only for a second.

The thin metal and plastic bent and cracked before giving way to the force behind his knuckles. Pulling back his fist Kazuki watched the brief weak sparks of lingering electricity escaping the wiring. His frown vanished when after several long seconds of silence a loud click was accompanied by a jerk of the door frame. The steady thumping continued undisturbed.

The door opened with another softer click and Kazuki waited a second before stepping inside, "Hey buddy…" The sharp snap of something breaking under his foot stopped him and he looked down, "What the…" Bones; there had to be at least a hundred of them scattered across the floor, all various sizes and when he looked closer at the broken one it had to have been gnawed on.

The banging had stopped.


	8. A day in waiting

Looking up from the bone Kazuki was surprised to find how much taller the room's occupant was than it had looked. It had stood, but not left the corner it had been in. Instead it stood staring at him with bulging yellow eyes. "It's about time. Bet you thought you weren't ever getting out of here. Well there's the door, so see you around…" He stepped back and turned to the side clearing the path as he glanced back at the grayish skinned face, "Or tell ya what let's make it not. Just can't see us hanging out." It was another long moment before it started moving forward unsteadily, nearly falling over after the first wobbling step. Then it was running so quickly that he couldn't trace its path.

It was instinct that made him jerk back at the last second for what seemed like no particular reason, until the clack of teeth smacking closed against themselves rang loudly in his ears. Reaching out to deflect the hands trying to get hold of his neck he jumped as his finger was sliced open by the spines he hadn't noticed sprouting out of the demons arms. The momentary hesitance caused by his surprise was all that was needed. Several thin hard things clenched around his neck and his hands came up impulsively to try breaking the grip. Before he was able to break free or even blink Kazuki was slammed backward into a wall, the force of the impact knocking what little air he had been able to hold in his lungs free and stunning him.

Even with his lungs burning for air and his throat working desperately in an attempt to swallow the deeply needed oxygen down it was the flash of teeth that forced him into action. His arm still remembering the pain of the last bite wound he'd received came up and hitting the demon's thick rounded chin knocked it's head back, forcing the teeth together hard again. Using the second he'd bought himself he punched hard, listening to the satisfying crack of bones as he buried his fist in the demon's midsection. It took a second punch before the demon staggered back from him.

"And here I was trying to help you." Shaking his head he cracked his knuckles and waited for the demon to charge, which it did surprisingly quickly. The rough skin hurt the already scraped knuckles of his right hand and he was surprised that such a thin thing could be so sturdy, but his next punch still sent it back several feet. "Have to say I'm disappointed, here I was giving you a free ticket to go cause mayhem and I didn't even know it. You could have just strolled on out of here, but you just had to try and eat me…" It came at him again, gnashing teeth cracking in the stillness. He dodged quickly, ducking beneath an arm and spinning behind the demon to direct a kick at its lower back. "There's this thing called self control." This time claws connected with his arm, scraping but not quite breaking the skin and Kazuki jumped back to put distance between them, "You should have looked into it." The demon charged and he caught one thin arm, careful to avoid the thick yellow spines this times. Twisting he spun it around him nearly one full rotation before sending it flying back to the wall, "I'm kind of in the middle of something else right now, so we'll have to make this quick." Extending his arm he held his index finger out, the tip trained carefully on the demon and concentrated. "I've been wanting to try this since yesterday. Guess I should be thanking you." The orb of energy that shot out of his fingertip was smaller than the original had been, but it was still bright and from the way the body flew back into the wall, then crumpled to the floor and stopped moving it was also effective. Taking a quick breath Kazuki took stock of his injuries, a few scrapes a cut finger and probably some bruises. Not too bad really.

"When did you figure out how to do that?"

"Worked it out on the bus while you were asleep..." He blinked twice before turning swiftly around, surprised to find her standing against the open doorframe, legs crossed at the ankle and her arms folded across her chest, interested eyes fixed on the lifeless demon. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough…" She pushed away from the doorframe and turned back into the hall with a swish of red hair that he found momentarily fascinating.

"Long enough for what?" He asked rushing to catch up to her.

"To figure out that I don't need to be quite so worried about keeping an eye on you all the time."

"You're damn right." He announced following her through a set of large doors at the end of the hall and into a circular dimly lighted room. "Last thing I need is a babysitter." His voice echoed

"I wouldn't go that far. You did try to free a crazed flesh hungry demon on all of us." Sayuri had stopped on the far side of the room to examine a dark rectangle on the wall that closer inspection proved to be five monitor screens set side by side in the otherwise smooth stone. Her eyes drifted to the broken glass pane overhead, "That looks like a viewing room or something…"

"Looks like somebody was holding some kind of demon fight club or something." Kazuki jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate a body shaped crater in the wall and a shallow trench in the tile floor, "and things got kinda messy." He nudged a few rocks into the whole with his toe and looked up again to find himself alone. "Damn it Sayuri are you ever going to stop disappearing on me?"

"It's hardly my fault you don't pay attention." On the other side of the broken glass Sayuri waited for him to look up before waving.

"How the hell did you get in there?"

Absently she pointed across the room to the hidden doorway she'd found and left open in one of the wall panels, "But you might not want to come up here…" She called, calmly surveying the bones and purple fabric on the console she was standing next to before glancing at the upside down skull against the far wall, "There isn't much to see." The body was obviously human and she wasn't sure how well he would take that. Now wasn't the time to find out. "It looks like some kind of control room."

"See what did I tell you? Demon fight club. Probably recorded it and made all his money selling the tapes."

"Well, let's see." Sayuri murmured, shoving the disintegrating clothing and bones aside so she could look over the console quickly before selecting and pressing one of the buttons.

Kazuki jumped as the lights overhead blazed into life forcing him to close his eyes against the sudden burst of brightness after they had grown used to the dim of the basement.

"Sorry… wrong button." Turning the lights off again she went back to studying the console's several panels of buttons, it was only moments before she found the controls she'd been looking for, "Thank you paranoid mad men…" She muttered plugging in a series of commands on the worn but clearly labeled keys, "Guess his subscribers watched live, it's plugged into the phone line like some kind of old school webcam. But it's set up to automatically record whenever anyone calls in or out… so he can watch it all again later… let me check the archives…" She muttered, typing quickly into the set in keyboard and watching green readouts scroll across the built in monitor, "You know, even if this guy wasn't the most technical of people you'd think he'd have better security on this thing. Anyone could break into it; it's harder to get into Takanaka's e-mail."

"Sayuri you're rambl… how do you know how hard it is to break into the principal's e-mail? Why would you want to read that?" The redhead in the booth above him only shrugged and remained fixated on something he couldn't see but assumed was some kind of computer, "Why not break into the grade books or something useful?"

"My grades are fine what would be the point?" She looked up again, ignoring his exasperated expression with ease, "If I start up the screens it'll take this off the internal batteries and switch the emergency power system off standby to run everything. It'll probably drain the last of…"

"I don't need to details."

"Fine, we'll only be able to play a short one before all the power goes out. Lucky for us the smallest file is also the most recent… even if it is about twenty years old." She added too quietly for him to hear before looking down, "You know any other locks holding man eating demons will be disengaged…?"

"Bring it on. I could use the excitement."

"Nothing with you is going to be boring is it?" Sighing she punched the final button to start the process. The low emergency lights were immediately replaced by the bright everyday ones and the portions of the console and other machinery around the room buzzed to life. "Here we go… it records incoming and outgoing lines so it'll be on two screens…"

"Whatever just hit play already and let's see what was going on around here."

"The guy learns an energy attack and all of a sudden he thinks he's in charge." She grumbled under breath, doing as she was told regardless and turning expectantly to her own screen.

There was static for a long moment before first one side of the screen and then the other blinked into life. She took a second to examine the three men revealed on the split screen. Two stood together, both shirtless but that was the end of their resemblance. The taller of the two dominated the screen. He was broad shouldered and tan. His face was half hidden by a pair of dark sunglasses that Sayuri recognized as the type her father claimed were worn to cover the eyes of liars who had never quite perfected their craft. Considering all the time he'd spent trying to teach her not to give away too much with her own eyes, an art she was sure she would never master completely or to the level her dad had, she disliked the man instantly for cheating. The second was far smaller and paler than the other, with far fewer details worth noting. While the first had his hair cropped short this one's hung dull and ashen against his shoulders, other than the differences in stature that was all she cared to note about him. Unlike the other two the man on his own screen was fully dressed in an obviously expensive suit. His long black hair was cautiously combed and the only thing to mar his clearly very cautiously cultivated appearance was a long jagged scar running across his right eye.

"Excellent Performance Toguros," The suited man began over carefully folded hands, "You almost had me fooled."

"We have excellent hearing." Sunglasses responded, "Once we overheard the boy's plan it was simple to play along." He turned to face the camera, almost entirely eclipsing the smaller and so far silent man, "Though I was afraid I was going to kill them both before I could fake a believable loss." He paused to look up for a second before continuing, "I hope you don't mind me letting the girl go. I didn't see any good reason for making her die. Who knows, maybe you'll want to profit off her tears some day."

"That's fine." Scar-face tipped his chin up as he put his hands down, "The girl is of no consequence to me now. Not when I think of all the money our great plan will be affording me."

"We're so glad our client is pleased." The dark haired flat top continued, no hint of any actual pleasure in his voice. Cheating or not Sayuri saw the pitch coming instantly and the man in the suit must have too because his grin didn't falter, "But now my brother and I have a favor to ask in return. Please give us an opportunity to fight with those boys again. This time seriously." Either he needed to practice in front of the mirror more or get bigger sunglasses because there was no disguising just how badly he wanted his request and there was no disguising the 'got you' look that lit up the blue eyes of the man he was negotiating with.

"But of course Toguro. They will be two of the most anticipated guests in the dark martial arts competition."

Apparently sunglasses did all the talking because he was the one to respond again. "I should have known all along. Extorting Tarukane's fortune was only half your plan. You wanted to see the competition."

"You're very keen. So tell me what you thought of their powers."

Her interest was beginning to wane. She wasn't sure what she'd expected to find on the recording but watching someone's phone call wasn't it. That changed when she heard the name in the response that brought her eyes instantly to Kazuki's. "That Yusuke Urameshi boy is very intriguing. He lacks the fighting experience but could be a powerful weapon."

Eyes locked neither of them quite heard the other man's final remarks before both screens went blank. The lights flickered and Kazuki held her gaze for a second longer before going back to the screen. "Play it again." He ordered.

"I can't…" Sayuri answered just as the lights went out overhead and the indicator lights on the console blinked a final time before the exhaust fan ceased to function. The light from a distant open doorway trickled into the room, providing enough illumination of see, but only just. "I told you the power wouldn't last long once we took it off emergency stand by…"

He glanced at the screens in the wall for several seconds before spinning on his heel and marching away across the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Even if you can't use the computer this guy had to have something on paper somewhere." She started to say his name but he cut her off, "Unless you're about to tell me where his office was I don't want to hear it." He announced before stepping through the far door and back into the dark abyss of the basement without looking back.

"One of these days he's going to let me get a thought out." She informed the bones next to her feet before smiling fondly at the door he'd gone through, "Guess I'd better catch up." Turning to leave she was halted by something pinned beneath the edge of her tennis shoe whizzing loudly into the wall and clattering slowly back toward her. In the dim light it took her a moment to find the small round object rolling across the floor. She found four of them, identical sized marbles resting within inches of her feet and stooped to collect them only to freeze with her fingers just a breath away, eyes wide with surprise. Hiruseki stones, she'd seen them enough times in the past to recognize one, and there was something familiar about the traces of energy left in these ones.

XXX

Finding the office turned out to be the easy part. It was on the second floor three doors from where he'd started to search. By the time he walked into the large room Sayuri had joined him, looking thoughtful and silent. He didn't ask what was bothering her, she probably wouldn't have answered anyway and for the moment he had other things on his mind.

"Looks like someone left in a hurry." She murmured finally, gesturing at a set of glasses and dust coated open bottle still sitting on a low wooden table positioned between four overstuffed arm chairs.

"Then let's hope they left something useful behind." He walked directly across the room to a large wooden desk that still gleamed where his hand wiped away the thick layer of dust.

"Doesn't it seem just a little… too easy to you?" Sayuri asked, hoisting herself to sit on the edge of the desk with her back to him.

"Easy?" He demanded, looking up with arched eyebrows from the desk drawer he'd been rifling through, "What part of this has seemed _easy_ to you?"

"Think about it Kazuki." Inside her coat pocket she rolled one of the little jewels she'd found, "Someone drops a concentration ring in front of you at the exact moment I happen to be close enough to hear and follow you through a breech in the barrier. A ring that leads us to a video that brings us to this exact place where we just happen across another recording that mentions your dad…? Doesn't that seem just a little suspicious? Either we're following a series of remarkable coincidences or someone is leading us along for some reason."

He stared at her for a long moment. "Nah, come on Sayuri, you're just being paranoid. I've had that tape forever and that was just the only recording we could play. We got lucky is all..." He went back to the drawer.

She dropped the stone in her pocket and withdrew her hand. "Maybe you're right Kazuki." She hoped he was.

XXX

Feeling Triumphant he almost waltzed out the ruined front door and to the porch's stoned railing. It had taken him a full night and a good portion of the morning with the aid of some candles Sayuri had found in a dining room and a lighter he'd found in a drawer to search everything in the room, but eventually after pouring over nearly every piece of paper in the office he'd found it. Standing at the railing it took him a few seconds to find her where she was seated on the circular stone base of the long unused fountain. He stayed there for a moment watching the light breeze that made the grass bob tug her hair back from her face and ruffle her red bangs. She'd drawn her knees up to form a table for the thick book she was absorbed in.

She looked so peaceful he almost didn't want to disturb her as he pushed through the overgrown grass and Kazuki didn't speak when he seated himself behind her. He was there for only a second before Sayuri reclined back onto his arm. "I take it you've decided where we're going then?" She asked without looking up from the book.

"Turns out they had this thing called a dark tournament once a year…"

"That's what he was talking about?"

"You've heard of it? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Sorry… guess I didn't make the connection. Even if I had I don't know that much about it. All anyone would tell me is that it was terrible and it doesn't exist anymore." She flipped another page absently.

"More than I knew." Kazuki answered, "Anyway, turns out the guy who owned this house and his pals were the ones who organized the whole thing. Looks like they were in the middle when he… left or whatever… So while I was going through his old light bills, place like this takes a lot of electricity by the way, I came across this." Twisting slightly, carefully to keep from upsetting her position he dropped one of the papers in his hand on top of her book.

"The tournament block…?" She asked quietly, examining the incomplete diagram.

"For the last tournament and in space number one…"

"Team Urameshi…" They finished in unison. Sayuri handed back the page and went back to her book, "So I take it you've decided where we're going then?" She repeated.

"They were building a stadium for it on a place called Hanging Neck Island. I'm guessing he went to fight in this tournament." They both knew without further explanation that he wasn't talking about the house's owner.

"So we're headed to Hanging Neck Island?"

"You don't have to Sayuri." He said quickly, not looking at her. "I mean you must miss your dad, and I've already gotten you in enough trouble over th…"

She closed her book with a snap. "Did you happen to find a map by any chance? It'll make finding this place a lot easier."

"Sayuri…"

"All or nothing Kazuki…" She turned so they were sitting side by side, their arms and knees brushing. He glanced over and watched her closely for a moment before Sayuri turned to meet his gaze with what had to be the most genuine smile he'd ever seen in her expressive emerald green eyes, "We decided remember? No changing our minds. One chance is all we've got and it's too late to turn back now. If you're in this so am I."

It stunned him for a second, the determination in her eyes, and he couldn't understand why she would be so willing to stick with him, to put everything on hold and face whatever consequences were waiting for her when she got back just for him. Surprised and a little shamed by the sheer loyalty she was showing, he looked away. When had he ever done anything to deserve that? Or shown even a fraction of that kind of devotion to anything or anyone? How could she do it so easily? "Here…" He murmured, handing her another of the papers, "And Sayuri… thanks."

There was sadness in his eyes that she absolutely despised in a way that caught her by surprise, "For what?" She continued before he had a chance to respond, "Now aren't you going to ask what I was doing all night?"

"Besides snoozing in one of the easy chairs…?" Cheered up by the change of subject and the slight glare she directed at him Kazuki grinned. "Alright what were you doing?"

"While you were busy figuring out where we were headed I figured out how we'd get there." Handing him the large paperback that had been in her hand she stood and started walking.

With a confused frown dragging his eyebrows down he looked down and red the bold type decorating the otherwise blank cover. "Operations manual…"

XXX

"You're joking…" he looked at the girl standing next to him as the silence lengthened, "Right?"

"It's been out of the elements so it's pretty good shape and even though it's been sitting for a while it should run…"

"Okay joke's gone far enough." He glanced at her, "How'd you even know this thing was here?"

"I found the door key and some of the paperwork in the safe."

"The safe…? How'd you get into the safe?"

"I got bored."

"So you broke into a safe?" He stared at her for a second, "Never mind I probably don't want to know."

Sayuri crossed the concrete floor to a workbench set along the wall. She turned back holding up a clipboard, "I already went through the check list and double checked everything with the manuals. It took a little while and some imagination but everything should be functional."

"Now you're starting to sound like you're serious…" He trailed after her as she started to circle the green monstrosity looming over them.

"We'll have to stop for fuel along the way…"

"Oh and how are you going to pay for that? Isn't fuel kind of expensive for these things?"

"Don't worry about it; there was plenty of stuff in the safe besides keys…"

"So you steal stuff now?"

"It's abandoned property. Think of it as salvaging if that helps." She stopped to smile before continuing around. Taking a deep breath Kazuki followed after her. "I've got a few more things to check, but it doesn't look like there will be any problems."

"I see a problem." He waited until she stopped and turned to look at him before gesturing up at the enormous vehicle. "It's a freaking helicopter!"

"Thanks Kazuki I hadn't noticed." Rolling her eyes Sayuri turned and continued on her way, double checking that she'd closed all the access panels she'd opened earlier.

"Okay, answer for everything girl, do you even know the first thing about flying?"

"Sure I do." She yanked on a handle and pulled a folding metal staircase down out of the doorway.

"Yeah where'd you learn that?" He asked half way between sarcasm and surprise.

"Come on Kazuki haven't you ever played a flight simulator?" Her steps clicked softly on the metal stairs as she started inside, "I've got a whole box of them. I've easily got thousands of hours logged. And with all the modifications they made this thing will practically fly itself."

"You're kidding… Right?"


	9. Moving Target

"Oh come on it wasn't that bad." She stepped onto the bench next to a slouched over Kazuki and settled on the back. He was silent but lifted his head from between his knees to glare at her. She sighed and looked away. "Stop looking at me like that already. Sure it was a little rough at first but I got the hang of it. It's not like we crashed," Seeing the retort coming she rushed on before he could get it out, "I got you a milkshake…"

He took the offered cup but didn't drink. "If you think you can buy me off with a milkshake you're crazier than I thought you were."

"Then what will it take to buy you off?" She teased, leaning forward on her knees to be at eye level with him.

Kazuki turned to look at her where she'd perched on the back of the bench by his shoulder. Charmed by the teasing grin she gave him he sipped at his shake. With a satisfied smirk Sayuri straightened and took a drink of her own milkshake. "What are we doing in town anyway? Don't you think someone we know might see us?"

Sayuri shrugged. "It's going to take them a couple hours to get around to refueling the helicopter, I figured since we had some time to kill we should take advantage of it." She was glad he wasn't looking at her because it spared her from having to find a plausible reason for being unable to meet his eyes.

"How'd you trick them into thinking you're a pilot anyway? Weren't they kind of suspicious?" Who would believe a fourteen year old could legally fly a helicopter?

"They don't think I am. They think my uncle is the pilot, but he's napping while we stop to refuel and doesn't want to be disturbed. People don't ask too many questions when you're willing to pay cash and tip well."

"Clever." He meant it as a compliment, and from the way she was beaming even if she was trying to hide it, she must have taken it as one. Letting the subject of the helicopter and the "salvaged" money drop he handed her his now half empty chocolate milkshake. Long since used to the routine that had seemed a little odd the first few times he now found the familiar process of her stripping off the plastic lids and mixing the two varieties of milkshake together oddly reassuring. It was something normal after days full of strange. Accepting his empty cup back he held it out in anticipation of his half of the chocolate and strawberry concoction.

"Crap!" He only realized she wasn't talking about the dropped cup and milkshake dripping through the boards beneath her feet when he glanced up to find her staring straight ahead.

"What?" Tracing her gaze he found the only stationary figure at the end of the block, a tall man probably in his thirties with a cone of hair that looked orange compared to Sayuri's shade of red. He knew in almost an instant that the man's narrow eyes were locked with Sayuri's wide ones. He glanced between the two of them several times before the crowd parted enough for him to see the man wasn't alone. The woman was younger than her companion and quite a bit shorter, with big eyes he could have sworn even from that distance were red and turquoise hair that had to be dyed tied back in a low ponytail. The couple was still for a long moment before breaking into a jog coming toward them.

"Come on!" Somehow in the process of performing a complicated acrobatic maneuver that involved a single armed handstand Sayuri flipped backward over the back of the bench and caught his hand. Choosing not to question her right away Kazuki jumped the bench as well and let her pull him off at a run.

"HEY! Get back here!" A low voice thundered after them as they pounded away down the sidewalk. Heedless of the command they rounded the far corner of the block. "Stay here Yukina, I'll be back." His voice preceded him around the corner and they put on another burst of speed in an effort to gain some distance.

"What was that you were saying about it being okay to be in town? I take it this guy knows you?" Kazuki asked as they darted down an alley two blocks later.

"They're both my dad's friends. Guess he put out the word that I'm among the missing." Dodging to the side she yanked him with her behind the end of a dumpster, crouching low to keep from being seen over the top. There was no sign needed from either for both of them to fall silent.

Footsteps echoed down the alley as their pursuer turned into it, he'd gone only a few steps before slowing to a walk. "Alright, where'd you go?" One of the trashcans flanking the far end of the walkway rattled as he passed and the footsteps paused for a moment before he continued, "I know you're still in the alley you guys, so just come on out…"

He knew somehow that this guy wasn't about to just give up and go away. Listening to the steps coming quickly closer Kazuki tried to gauge how far away the man was and if he would be able to catch up before they could clear the final ten feet to the street. The longer they waited the closer it would be. Still not entirely certain why they were running instead of just knocking the man out he rose a few inches. Squeezing Sayuri's hand, which he'd just realized he was still holding, and throwing her a meaningful look he waited until she'd nodded to spring to his feet and make a break for the sidewalk. He was nearly around the corner when something caught the back of his shirt, halting his forward momentum as the collar snapped back against his neck, nearly choking him and ripping his hand free of Sayuri's grip as she rounded the corner. "Keep going, I'll catch up!" He called, knowing she would already be turning around to come back for him. Fixing his best scowl into place he allowed himself to be spun back to face the older man. "Following us for a reason?"

Dark blue eyes widened then narrowed again in annoyance. "What are you running away for? It's me Kuwabara…"

"Kuwabara…? Nope, never heard of you…"

"You punk…" The redhead's voice died to a grunt and Kazuki was momentarily disappointed by the lack of cracking ribs in response to his punch. The hit may not have been enough to break bone, but it did break the startled man's grip. Pulling free Kazuki spun away and dove for the corner. Shoving himself upright Kuwabara glared after him. "That was a lucky shot!"

"Yeah, yeah, see ya around." Racing down the street he searched almost frantically for a flash of red or that orange coat she was still wearing, but there was nothing. They really needed to start coming up with meeting places in the event they got split up.

A hand closed around his and Kazuki was yanked sideways into an alcove then ushered through an open door. Before he had a chance to say anything Sayuri was pulling him across a room lined with shelves of cacti and random knickknacks mingled in with racks of hanging clothes. Ignoring the other shoppers they reached the far side and ducked behind a shelf that would block them from the window. "I was about to go back for you." She said quietly looking relieved.

"Come on, like I'm going to let some random old guy get the best of me." He assured her, wondering why they were whispering but going along with the volume anyway.

"Of course what was I thinking oh great Kazuki…" She teased barely suppressing a chuckle.

"Nah, great Urameshi sounds better." He joked back, holding in a laugh of his own before adding more seriously, "We better get out of here soon. That clerk thinks we're stealing stuff." Through the thin cracks in the wooden shelving he could see the dark haired woman coming toward them with a fake smile plastered to her face. Preparing to move they were stopped by the clanging bell over the door and instantly looked to see the newcomer. "Damn it…" Kazuki hissed all humor gone as he stooped in a little in a subconscious attempt to keep from being seen by the large redheaded man standing in the doorway, "I thought I hit him harder than that…"

"He's tougher than you'd think." Sayuri whispered, watching Kuwabara stomp across the store to yank two oversized hats off two people near the front corner. He was muttering apologies and facing away when Kazuki yanked on her arm. Not prepared for the sudden motion she half fell across the carpet and into the curtained changing booth. He steadied her quickly, putting his hand across her mouth to silence any surprised sounds as he did so.

"The next time he's not looking we'll go out the back." He leaned close to breath into her ear, wary of being overheard. Sayuri nodded and hoped she wasn't blushing as his breathe fanned against her ear and that he didn't notice she was holding her breath. She remained perfectly still as he moved away to peak through the curtain, willing her heart out of her throat as the seconds drug by and wondering how it had gotten there in the first place. This time Kazuki got her attention before slipping out of the booth. Quickly and as quietly as possible they rushed behind the counter and through the curtained door behind it. Safely inside the back room Kazuki led the way through stacks of clothing and labeled boxes toward a door in the far wall; he paused in the alley beyond it to let out a breathe.

"Sir you can't be back here!" The alarmed female voice earned matching groans from the two on the other side of the door.

Casting around for an escape route Sayuri's eyes rose to the roof of the building across from them, more importantly the fire escape that ran to the top. "Hold on tight!" She ordered, throwing an arm around Kazuki without a moment's hesitation. Her rose whip arced high into the air and looped several times around one of the bars at the top. Kazuki barely had a chance to grab onto her before the whip shortened, pulling them into the air with surprising speed and throwing them high enough to clear the top of the wall.

He landed hard and nearly toppled over when Sayuri slipped away from him to kneel at the edge, watching the man surveying the alley below before he raced forward and caught the bottom rung of the escape ladder. "I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." She hissed spinning away.

"Are you kidding me?" He stared at her, "What is this guy half bloodhound or something?"

"No completely human. Stupid heightened spirit awareness…"

"Spirit awareness? Then he's tracking our energy?"

She was mildly impressed that he'd picked up that part without needing a reminder. "Yeah, let's spilt up." She murmured, eyeing the crowd below on the other side of the street, "I'll lead him into the market down there, there's enough people that if I suppress my energy it should confuse him. You wait up here then go back the other way and we'll meet up back at the hanger." She whispered as she came back to him.

He didn't have a chance to insist on going with her before Sayuri shoved him behind the roof access door and started off toward the far edge of the roof. When she dropped over the side his instinct was to go after her until the running footsteps reached his ears. Pressing his back against the wall he inched toward the back of the raised structure and slipped around behind it to keep from being seen. When he glanced around the corner a few seconds later the roof was empty. Apparently her plan had worked.

XXX

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure he was following Sayuri jogged across the deserted street and into the rows of vendors, careful to stay where he could keep her in sight. She wanted him to follow her not turn back in search of Kazuki. Pushing through the throng of shoppers she began to slowly pick up speed, ignoring the chattering crowd and vendors trying to get their attention at their various booths and tables. She glanced back several times to make sure Kuwabara was still following.

She ducked down behind a crowd of people at the end of the first row, slid around the end of the booth and across the next aisle to dive under a table on the far side, trusting the table cloth trapped beneath crates of vegetables to hide her. The space beneath the table wasn't big enough for her to sit comfortably. Forced to curl into a ball to keep from hitting her head on the table, keep her feet from sticking out and avoid being stepped on Sayuri remained as still as she could and waited.

People passed around the table, she watched the toes of their shoes poke in under the tablecloth forcing her to shift on occasion to keep from being kicked. Listening intently for a specific voice in the cacophony of sound she focused the attention she could spare on shielding her energy as much as she was able.

"Sayuri…! Hey where are you?!" His shout carried over the din, momentarily silencing the crowd, "Sayuri…!" Practically holding her breathe she listened to the heavy footsteps pacing along the edge of the table and focused on pushing her energy level as low as possible.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?" A man screeched a second before the table above her started to lift. Gasping Sayuri looked for a direction to go, but she'd cornered herself. No matter which way she went she could be seen and most likely caught. She straightened as the table flew sideways and landed with a series of heavy crashes, "No! My cabbages…" The man wailed miserably, throwing himself to his knees by the fallen leafy vegetables.

"There you are Sayuri. You could have just come out you know." Kuwabara grumbled glaring down at the girl, "What do you think you're doing running off like that?"

Sighing she pushed herself to her feet. "There was something I had to do." For only a second she considered fighting her way past him, but she dismissed the idea almost as quickly as it occurred to her. Like Hiei she'd know Kuwabara her entire life; had stayed nights at his house when she was too young to stay home alone and helped take care of the animals at his veterinary clinic during school breaks. Even if she didn't cause any serious damage how could she even try to harm the man who'd put out the fire she'd caused trying to bake her father's birthday cake when she was seven.

"Something you had to do?" He sighed, dropping his arms from where they'd been crossed over his chest with his glare, "It must have been pretty important for you to go off without telling anyone." She only looked up at him and Kuwabara frowned, "Your dad's been really worried about you, you know?" That one hurt. Unable to hold back but also unwilling to openly display her guilt she tipped her head down slightly, "We all have." It was hard not to cringe visibly at that, but she still didn't speak. Accepting the conversation as a lost cause he looked at her again, "Well come on, let's get you home. I left Yukina waiting on the street."

Nodding silently Sayuri let him turn her and lead her by the shoulders toward the exit. Her only option would be to keep her eyes open for a chance to get away.

XXX

He'd gone half way back to the hanger where they'd left the helicopter before he decided against it and turned back to go after her. True he didn't know where exactly she'd gone, but if that Kuwabara guy could track someone by their energy he could figure it out too.

Leaning back against a wall Kazuki closed his eyes took a deep breathe and concentrated as hard as he could. He knew Sayuri after all, knew how it felt when she was around and when she wasn't so he should be able to recognize her energy. That was a start at least.

XXX

The sun had set without her noticing while she'd been trying to dodge the tall redheaded man she was now walking next to. Sayuri was mildly surprised to realize they were walking under illuminated streetlights. They'd gone several blocks already and she'd still had no real options to slip away. Apparently wise to her usual tricks Kuwabara was staying half a step back and keeping her in sight at all times. This wasn't going to be as easy as she'd originally thought.

"Kazuma, there you are I was starting to worry." Yukina's voice was welcome in several ways, not only was the ice apparition another of the people she was fond of she was also the thing that best distracted Kuwabara and she was coming toward them right now.

"I'm sorry Yukina…" Grinning widely Kuwabara started forward to meet the young woman and Sayuri took her chance. Turning on her toe she spun to the left and started to take a step, intending to be down that side of the block and gone by the time he noticed. She wasn't that lucky. "Where do you think you're going?" The no longer smiling man demanded turning back to catch her arm and keep her from moving any further.

"I told you, there's something I have to do." Twister again she pulled hard against his hold, trying to wrench herself free, "So let me go!" Contorting her arm just so she managed to slip free of his grip before she hopped back to move out of his reach.

Her stomach clenched and dropped at the same moment as her feet landed on the edge of the curb, her heels dropping through nothing and throwing off her balance. Unable to stop herself she tipped backward into the street, rolling instinctively to catch herself on her hands instead of hitting her back. Half way through the motion she froze, green eyes opening into perfect circles and blinded by the oncoming headlights, her ears filled with the deep roar of the engine and air horn.

"Sayuri…!"


	10. Surprised to be dead

The blinking light on the answering machine wasn't entirely unexpected. He pressed the button on his way passed to the closet and shrugged out of his coat ignoring the electronic voice telling him how many messages were waiting. The voice that replaced the generic greeting a moment later nearly stopped his pulse and sent the heavy fabric in his hands to the floor unheeded.

"Hey Dad," She sounded cheerful but he knew her well enough to recognize the act, "I guess I missed you. I don't have much time right now, but I… I just wanted to call and check in…" The click of the door opening drew his attention away from the answering machine. The welcoming smile he flashed faded when he saw the dismal expression on Kuwabara's face and the red ridges lining Yukina's eyes. "And Dad… I…" Having missed the last half of the message he paused the recording to be replayed when he'd sorted out what was going on.

"What's happened?" He asked, concerned by the couple's nervous fidgeting.

"I… I'm sorry Kurama." Yukina sniffed and hurried into the living room.

Concerned now he turned to the man quietly closing the door, but before he could speak Kuwabara had turned back, his eyes that had been squeezed tightly closed opened but still he wouldn't look directly Kurama's way. "I'm sorry man… we lost her. I just… wasn't fast enough." He muttered through his clenched jaw.

"What?"

XXX Earlier… much earlier…XXX

He didn't like car rides much. When it was just him and his mom it was okay, but being in the backseat with his grandparents chattering away up front and old people music on the radio was never much fun. Today especially. Reaching up to his neck he pulled on the uncomfortably tight collar of his itchy shirt.

"Oh… Kazuki honey, leave your tie alone…" Leaning across the backseat his mom caught the thing around his neck and started moving it.

"It's too tight." He whined, "I don't like it."

His mother smiled and did something he couldn't see that loosened the "tie" she'd put on him, it reminded him more of a dog collar, "I know sweetie, but don't you want to look nice for your party?"

"No." He pouted sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest and only tightening them at the laughter coming from the front.

"He looks so much like Yusuke when he does that." His grandmother announced watching him from the front passenger seat, a magical land he was still dreaming of being allowed to sit in.

"No he doesn't. He looks like Kazuki." Keiko murmured, her hand busy straightening the four… five year old boy's hair.

"Then I take it _someone_ won't be at this birthday either?" Kazuki looked between them quickly. Who? Who wouldn't be at the birthday party? Wasn't this the sort of thing they should be telling him? It was his party.

"You should tell him." At least his grandpa knew who needed to be told what. He almost nodded but his mom was still playing with his hair. "The man has a right to know…" Grandpa's face appeared by the headrest as her turned back to look at them, smiling warmly as usual.

"Dad…" things never went very well when his mom got that tone, "its better this way." She was looking past him out the windshield when her eyes got big, "Dad! Look out!" Her voice hurt his ears and the five year old struggled against his seatbelt to rise and look through the window to see what was so interesting, but his mother fell across him, hugging him so hard it hurt.

Even through the arms put firmly over his ears the noise was loud, like someone crunching thousands of soda cans at once, he'd done that a few times, they were fun to step on. The whole car jerked and he felt something in his arm pop as it hit the armrest in the door before it _hurt_ worse than anything he'd ever felt. Then everything went still.

About to let loose a scream of agony he was brought up short by something cool and wet landing on then running down his cheek. It couldn't be raining inside, and it smelled… salty. Sure he wasn't crying yet Kazuki opened his eyes to meet brown tear filled ones. "M… Mom?"

"Are you okay?" Keiko's tears didn't stop but she smiled when he nodded, "I'm glad. I want you to get out of the car Kazuki." He shook his head and grabbed her arm with his hand that would move, "I have to stay with Grandma and Grandpa right now. I want you to go wait on the sidewalk for the police okay?" Her voice got quieter and quieter the longer she talked until she was whispering. Not wanting to upset her when she was obviously tired Kazuki nodded and turned to the door, but pulling the handle didn't do anything. His mother grunted and reached past him to undo the lock. When he pulled the handle again it worked, but the door wouldn't open all the way. He didn't like how her hand shook when she undid his seatbelt.

Wriggling out through the part open door with one hand was hard, but once he landed in the street Kazuki turned back to peak through the crack at the brown haired woman slumped across the back seat. "Mom!" her brown eyes fluttered open when he spoke, "Thank you." He told her smiling.

"For what?" She answered as if it was the most natural thing in the world, "Now go wait on the sidewalk."

Nodding determinedly Kazuki did what he was told; only glancing back at the white delivery truck smooshed against the front of his grandparent's car once and wondering only briefly why he was the only one getting out.

XXXXXX

Wasn't there something she was supposed to be doing right now? The bright lights had somehow wiped her brain clear of all thought. Right, moving, she was supposed to be moving away from those lights. The rumbling engine buzzed into her ears and the vibrations filled her brain, slowing her thought process. Her feet were no longer in contact with anything so she couldn't push off for a jump or run, and the thing behind the lights would be on her by the time she landed.

As she forgot how to breathe Sayuri closed her eyes and waited for the impact. Would it hurt to die? She should have asked someone.

X

With his feet inexplicably glued to the sidewalk he stared in horror as she tumbled backward, lit eerily by the harsh glow of the speeding headlights. Beside him Yukina started to take a step forward and he was forced into action. He pushed her back and started toward to street, just a second too late. As the truck stampeded past he hit his knees, oblivious of the little jewels pinging off the street beside him. "No! No Sayuri please…" He whispered, praying that she had but knowing that she couldn't have moved fast enough from the position she'd been in to get out of the truck's path. "No…" He half sobbed, a tear rolling down his cheek. The damn driver hadn't even stopped he realized angrily, his clenched fists pressing hard against his thighs he kept his eyes closed, unable to look at the spot he was sure the little girl's body would lie. Would there be blood? Would she suffer or would it end quickly?

"Kazuma…" The hand on his shoulder shook him and he looked up into Yukina's face. "Look…"

X

He would never know how he moved that _fast_. One second he was trailing after the turquoise haired woman through the crowd toward the pair of redheads at the end of the block, and the he saw Sayuri falling, saw the speeding truck not slowing as it blasted it's horn and despite the squealing brakes.

And then he was standing on the far side of the street with his hands wrapped a little too tightly around her upper arms. He was shaking nearly as badly as she was, he realized as he lowered his head the fraction of an inch to let his forehead rest against hers. "Got you…" He breathed.

"Kazuki?" His name was a whisper and her green eyes cracked before fluttering all the way open. Her hands came up to brush his elbows as if she was assuring herself he was solid, and then she surged forward, closing the few inches between them to close her arms tight around him. "Thank you…" She whispered into his shoulder as he hugged her back.

"If you think you're getting out of this that easy you're nuts." He answered squeezing her even tighter once before stepping back and turning to glare across the street, "Are you happy now? You could have gotten her killed dumbass!"

"Me?" Before he could stop himself Kuwabara was on his feet and yelling back, "You've got a lot of nerve Urameshi! This is all your fault, you're the one who turned up and took off with Kurama's…"

"My Fault?!"

Watching the flow of traffic starting to thin and knowing that soon the man would be able to cross the street after them Sayuri reached out to catch his arm, silencing Kazuki's just beginning rant, "We don't have time for this."

Blinking over at her he glanced down at the hand still closed around his arm. "Yeah, I guess you're right. This guy's a waste of time anyway."

"No he isn't…" Sayuri whispered as they turned and started running again, "I wonder how he knew your name…?" She wondered quietly watching over her shoulder.

"I don't know, maybe they looked me up somehow." He glanced at her as they moved down the next few blocks, making many unnecessary turns to make following them difficult, "You sure you're going to be able to fly that thing?"

"Positive." She answered. Her smile was reassuring.

XXX

"I just… wasn't fast enough." He muttered through a clenched jaw.

"What?"

"We saw Sayuri in town. I had her with me, but she got away and then she was nearly hit by the truck and…" He rambled off hurriedly.

"_**She was what**_?" He demanded loudly, surprising even himself.

"She fell into the street and there was this truck," Kuwabara paused wide eyed at the look of absolute horror on Kurama's normally passive face, "But don't worry Urameshi got her out of the way in time." He said quickly, throwing his hands up, he'd practiced the story a thousand times on the way over, but it just wasn't coming out right, "After that I couldn't get across the street in time and well… we lost them." He finished miserably, slumping in on himself.

"She's alright then?" He asked already relieved.

"Yeah, but there's something else… I'm not really sure Urameshi is…" He stopped suddenly.

Now he was concerned again, "Why do you say that?"

"Well…" He glanced into the living room, "Look Yukina is still pretty upset since she thought Sayuri did get hit by the truck for a minute. I'm gonna go check on her so… I'll tell you later. It's nothing serious…" At least he hoped it wasn't.

After watching him join Yukina in the living room Kurama turned back to the answering machine and quickly restarted the message, "Hey Dad. I guess I missed you. I don't have much time right now but I…" The forced cheer in her voice made sense now at least, the incident must have rattled her, "I just wanted to call and check in since I'm not sure when I'll be able to again and I'm going to be gone a little longer than I thought. You've probably heard all about the accident this afternoon by now, so I wanted to let you know I'm okay. Try not to worry and Dad… I… I miss you. I'll be home as soon as I can." There was a long enough pause that he thought the message was over before she whispered something so quietly he almost missed it. Smiling bitterly Kurama held the previous button for a few seconds and played the last bit again, then again…

"I love you father."


	11. The Proof

_D101-...sorry... Didn't mean to be cruel_

_Everyone- I'm not so sure I like this chapter, it feels a little disjointed to me, but I figured it was time to stop worrying about perfecting and move the story along :)_

* * *

"Never again…!" Kazuki ranted, still very tempted to fall to his knees and hug the ground for being solid, "We're finding another way back. I'll swim home before I get back in that… deathtrap."

"Considering it was only my second landing I think I did very well." Sayuri answered, tipping her chin up defiantly as she walked next to him, doing her best to keep from kicking the backpack trailing from his hand.

"Give me a break! You were less than an inch from that tree."

"It was at least a foot and you know it. Stop exaggerating." She moved to walk on the other side of him to avoid the now bouncing bag and the pebbles it was kicking up along the rocky path they were following up from where she'd landed, fairly successfully on a patch of rock. "The building at the top should be a hotel…"

"How do you know?" He threw her a sidelong glance.

"I read the sign while we were landing."

Kazuki stopped to glare at her, waiting until she'd noticed and turned back to shout, "See! I knew you weren't paying attention." The slow look of dawning realization that crept across his face made Sayuri smile to herself almost as much as the expression of bliss it left in its wake. "Wait hotel… that means no camping doesn't it?" He asked quietly, hopefully. Not trusting herself not to laugh Sayuri only nodded and was unable to suppress a chuckle at the whoop of victory that escaped him as he hefted his backpack and rushed up the path passed her. "Sayuri, I could kiss you!" He called back before vanishing around the corner of a cliff face.

"You could…" She whispered, frowning after him. A second later she shook her head, pushing the silly thought firmly away and went after him.

She caught up at the base of a large square building that looked so out of place she half expected it to melt away like some sort of mirage as they approached. Leaving Kazuki to examine the looming steel and glass cube she stepped onto the brick between tow square pillars and approached the glass door. A rug that had been mostly protected from the elements by the building's overhanging upper floors squished beneath her feet and sent up little plumes of dust around her ankles with each step. Stooping a bit Sayuri examined the brass keyhole in the door's almost nonexistent gold plated frame. From the grime coating the door itself no one had cleaned it in a long time. Her initial assumption of the island being unpopulated was looking more correct all the time. It was a wonder the glass hadn't already been broken really. Dropping to one knee she reached into the inside pocket of her father's old orange jacket. Truthfully she wore it more than he did but she still considered it his.

"Now what are you doing?" It actually surprised her how close he'd come without her noticing. When had that happened? When had she gotten so comfortable with him being near that her self-preservation instincts were no longer alerted by his presence? Not that she expected Kazuki to attack her, but anyone within a few feet was normally worth noting.

"Picking the lock." She answered simply, redirecting her attention to the tumblers.

"You can crack safes and pick locks." He examined the objects in her hands, what looked like part of a bobby pin and an unbent paperclip to him, over crossed arms before he shook his head. "What would your father think?"

"That it was terribly disappointing…" She twitched one of the picks and the lock sprang happily open, "that it took me so long." She finished, tucking the delicate instruments back into her pocket as she stood.

"There's no way he would say that." Kazuki challenged over crossed arms. There was no way Mr. do your homework, go to school would be okay with his daughter breaking and entering.

"You asked me what he'd think." She reminded him, "And there is a big difference between what he'd think and what he'd say."

XXX

"You're cheating…"That the electricity worked was a miracle Kazuki had absolutely no intention of questioning. Sayuri had saved him from breaking down one of the doors by locating some little keypad thing behind the front desk that had reactivated and coded the keycards. She had also found the lost and found box and the deck of cards in it.

"I assure you I'm not."

"Yeah right…" Kazuki snapped, throwing the cards down, "You've won every damn hand!"

Sayuri blinked at him through a look of feigned innocence, "I don't need to cheat Kazuki because you're very bad at poker." She informed him. Stretching she climbed out of the deep cream colored cushion of the "L" shaped sectional, "Well, goodnight."

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" He demanded collection the cards she'd placed on the table. "We aren't done here fox-girl."

"Kazuki…" She didn't bother turning back to face him as she strolled toward one of the suite's two bedrooms, "You have nothing left to wager."

"Sure I do!" Desperate as he surveyed his empty side of the coffee table Kazuki practically dove into the backpack sitting beside him, "Just sit down…"

She watched him then heaved a heavy sigh. "You just don't know when to quit do you?" Dropping back onto the couch she leaned back, crossing one leg over the other and folded her hands over her knee. "If you plan on keeping me up all night you had better have something worth my time."

"Yeah yeah, don't get your tail in a knot."

"I don't have a tail."

"Here!" He proclaimed emerging from the bag and slamming a handful of objects on the table, "You told me this stuff is valuable right? It should more than cover it…"

"You want to bet your dad's old detective tools?"

"Why not…? It's not like anyone's using them." Kazuki brushed the broken items, a shattered toy gun; glasses snapped in two, aside and held up one of the circles that reminded him of an iron on patch, "What's this thing?"

"You're lucky you're so lousy at this or I wouldn't tell you how much these things are really worth."

Normally he would have argued with her but this time he let it go, glad she was acting like herself again after the long flight and a lot of uncharacteristic silence. He'd had about all the quiet staring he could handle. Sayuri must have noticed he wasn't paying attention because she leaned across the table, taking the patch from his hand and stuck it to his shirt.

"Okay… how do I get this thing off?" he demanded a minute later when he was worried he might rip his shirt trying to pull it free.

"Mejiru Seal… and if you'd been listening you'd know."

XXX

"Wow… I didn't think it'd be so… trashed." He murmured, staring at the pile of dark rock and rusted steel stretching across the rock and dirt clearing in front of him. "There's no way there's anything left…"

"Here, try this." He barely caught the little green framed disc she flicked at him. Frowning he examined it silently. "It's a psychic Spyglass. Think X-ray vision. I can't use it but you should be able to. You can see if there's anything worth digging for."

"How do you know that?" He asked, holding the lens up to his eye and closing the other. It was a second before the dusty upper layer started to vanish and was replaced by the dark shapes of more debris underneath.

"One of my dad's friends had one. She told me about it when I was little." Sayuri answered with a shrug, starting to circle the ruin.

"Yeah… you aren't going to believe this, but I think there's a room down there still…" he told her nearly a minute later.

"Where…?" He pointed and she made her way quickly toward it, examining the flat patch of dirt she was standing on for a long moment before kneeling and digging her fingers into the dirt. The sandy consistency gave way easily, allowing her to find the cracks that revealed the ends of a piece of rock. "Help me lift this…" She ordered, digging out a handhold. Without question Kazuki did as she asked, pushing an uneven chunk of cement up on its end and then over onto the other side.

Looking down Sayuri examined the open space beneath inhaling the stale dusty air. Quickly she shifted and dipped her feet into the opening, "Stay up here, I'll be right back." Without waiting for a response she dropped into the shadows and wished she'd brought a flashlight. Reaching up into her hair she retrieved one of the seeds stored there and collected a handful of the dirt that had leaked onto the floor. Thin roots sprang out of the little pile of earth in her palm followed quickly by three leaves and a delicately curved step weighed down at the end by a rounded luminous bud. The warm yellow light surrounded her and Sayuri looked around carefully. In the dim glow the thick cracks in the floor, ceiling and crumbling walls looked like deep shadows. The dark color of the concrete tried to swallow the light but her little plant fought valiantly against it, giving her enough illumination to make out the fractured plastic casings and wires that announced they had once been electronics around her. The whole room was inclined toward the far wall, where an empty frame that had probably once been a window was filled with pieces of rubble jutting in over a control panel that had been flattened. The slivers of glass glinted wickedly in the shadows.

She spun toward the sudden thump, half frightened that the roof might have been falling in on her only to frown as a dark shape picked himself up off the ground, "I told you not to follow me down here." He said quietly, eyeing the unstable walls carefully. The slightest of vibrations would probably bring the whole place down.

"Yeah, but since when are you my boss?" Kazuki asked and she shushed him as dust rained down from the split ceiling. "What's that thing?" He added far more softly.

"Lamp-weed," She answered quietly turning back to the broken panel, "It's the first plant I learned to grow. You shouldn't be down here."

"But it's alright for you?" Before she could answer the sarcastic question he added "I won't touch anything."

"Try not to; you could bring it down around our ears."

"Jeez you're cheery. I'm starting to regret coming."

"I did try to warn you." The rubble shifted overhead and they both froze, wondering if the half buckled walls would finally collapse under the weight of the steel and stone piled above the lower portion of the slanted room. Considering the devastation that had been wrought on the rest of what the map they'd found said had been a stadium it was remarkable that anything might have survived, let alone an entire mostly intact room. Turning she examined a tall metal cabinet balanced over the cracked portion of the floor where the rest of the room had started to slide. The door had swung open, revealing the shredded papers littering the bottom corners. The scent of rats was faint so even them must have abandoned the place years ago, meaning the stadium had been demolished and just left for quite a while. If it had been intentional why wouldn't someone have cleaned it up?

Turning back to the front of the room her gaze landed on something glinting in the low lighting that she'd missed the first time around. She slipped carefully closer, shuffling inch by inch to keep from shaking the disjointed floor enough to make it slip. It took her several long seconds to reach the shattered window and find what appeared to be the bottom of another metal storage cabinet pinned between two large pieces of precariously balanced wall. "Do you still have the spyglass?" She asked, inching slowly back toward the small entrance they'd made where Kazuki was hovering in the solitary beam of daylight streaming in.

"Sure…" He pulled it out of a pocket and held it out toward her.

"I can't use it remember? Demon energy…" She joined him, pointing, "See if there's anything in the cabinet."

"What am I your portable X-Ray machine?"

"Just look."

"Fine." Holding the lens up to one eye he closed the other and focused on the warped square she'd pointed out. It was still a little disconcerting to have things right in front of him vanish. Used to sweeping the large sections of ground from above it took him a second to focus on the single item he was looking at "Looks like boxes."

"And in the boxes?"

"Well how the hell should I know?" he had the grace to look sheepish at the look she gave him, "Right X-Ray Monocle…" He whispered. If looking through the cabinet had been difficult looking through the thin cardboard without seeing through the contents was almost impossible, but eventually he managed it. "Looks like videos; they're all stuffed with 'em." Dropping the spyglass back into his pocket to look at her he instantly decided that he did not like the look on her face. It was back, that borderline manic glint that he'd come to associate with her making a potentially dangerous plan.

"Kazuki… get back… this isn't a safe place to be right now." She was moving down the slope toward the broken window where the cabinet was trapped again, leaning closer to observe it carefully.

"What the hell are you about to do?" He'd learned to recognize that peculiar little tickle that shivered through him as her energy level rising or falling. It would probably work with other people too, but being with Sayuri almost constantly he'd been practicing by trying to follow the natural fluctuation of hers and right then it was building.

"Box of videos buried in a ruined stadium, don't you want to see what's on them?"

"What?" Several pebbles dropped free of the ceiling and Kazuki instantly dropped his volume, "You know you could bring down the whole place trying that." What was it about this girl that made him the sensible one? Normally he was all for the reckless choice, but Sayuri's level of reckless took some getting used to. He frowned. "I'll do it."

"What?" She stopped and spun to him, "Don't be stupid."

"Come on it's me; you should be used to it by now."

Sayuri turned away from him again. It would take some quick and precise work to collect even one of the boxes before the cabinet was crushed once the rubble started moving, especially if the person doing the job didn't want to get crushed as well. "Just pulling it free won't work… let's get out of here and come up with another way."

"Now you're talking sense." He murmured looking up at the opening as she moved back to him, "Ladies first…"

"It's too high, you'll have to climb out and pull me up."

"Sure, just a sec…" Jumping up he hooked his fingers over the stone and dirt above them and pulled himself up. He was nearly out of the hole and back on his feet when it hit him.

Sayuri always made it onto the raised portion of the school roof by herself and had to pull him up. If he could make the jump then…

It felt like an earthquake, at least the first warning rumble did. The ground trembled under his feet as he righted himself instantly Kazuki was forced to jump back from the hole as the ground fractured and the sand started spilling down into it. The world in front of him tipped and shifted like draining water. Bits of steel groaned and the sharp crack of colliding and splintering rock became a constant screech. It last forever. It was over in a heartbeat.

Dropping to his knees he stared at the plume of dust rising into the air. "Damn it Sayuri…" He hissed. She'd probably been crushed in the commotion, "What the hell were you thinking? Why would you do something that freaking stupid?!"

"I thought you wanted to see what was on the tapes…" A dust coated cardboard box was lifted through the hole moments before a scarlet red head emerged.

Sitting back against his heels Kazuki breathed a sigh of relief as she began pulling herself up, "Damn Kazuki…" He muttered to himself, "And that speech was getting so dramatic…"

XXX

"I could only save one box… and some of them were still crushed." She murmured, kneeling over the box of cassettes.

"Great… all that trouble for some useless hunks of plastic."

"I said some. There are plenty that should work." Sitting back on her heels she looked up at Kazuki who had claimed the only chair in the hotel's dusty security room, the only place in the hotel where they had finally been able to find a VCR and anything that resembled a television screen. "There are still hours of footage… and it's all dated not long after the other recording we found."

"Alright. Where do we start?"

"Well according to the diagram you found Team Urameshi was in the first round so I guess…" reaching into the box she retrieved the undamaged tape that happened to have the earliest date, "At the beginning."

The VCR clicked several times after she slid the already rewound tape into it and she waited to press play until Kazuki had located the button and turned on the monitors before turning back to watch him.

The cameras must have been for replays from the stationary way it had been centered on the stone circle that must have been the ring. A cheering crowd could be heard in the background but wasn't visible from the slightly downward angle the zoomed in camera had been placed at. The cheers only grew louder as a thin woman in yellow and pink vaulted into the center of the ring, tall ears stood up in her short auburn hair and a matching bushy tail with a white tip trailed after her.

"That looks like a fox demon." Kazuki teased, watching her from the corner of his eye.

"Shut up Kazuki." The cold edge in her voice actually sent a shiver down his spine. Apparently the fox heritage was a sore spot he should stay away from. He took the warning he could see in her eyes even without meeting them directly as a serious one. That glare was bad enough from the periphery he didn't want to get caught in the full blown version.

On the screen the woman had pulled out a microphone and lifted one hand to get the crowd's attention. It was still at least thirty seconds before she started speaking, "Ladies and gentlemen my name is Koto. I'll be your cute host for this year's tournament and it's gonna be a messy one. For those in the first few rows rain coats are available."

As the announcer paused Kazuki leaned back and over in his chair reaching for the fast forward button only to have his hand snatched away by Sayuri who was still staring intently at the monitors with an odd almost dazed look. Before he could say anything the announcer was continuing, "Now here's the introduction you boys have been waiting for. Team Rokuyukai." The stationary camera remained that way so they weren't treated to an image of the team until they'd appeared at the edge of the stone circle. Five people Kazuki wasn't that interested in seeing until he noticed there was a kid with them. "And now for this year's guests: Team Urameshi." She pointed and the crowd went wild, but still couldn't be seen. Holding his breath Kazuki waited. "Both teams to the arena…" His eyes zeroed in on the familiar face immediately. With his hair down, Kazuki had to admit, there really wasn't much difference between him and Yusuke. They even had the same haircut. He'd never realized since the only pictured he'd seen of Yusuke his hair had been slicked back.

He blinked as he realized his father's eyes were closed and that he wasn't actually walking but being carried. How could he have already been knocked out when the tournament hadn't even started yet? What a wimp. He turned his eyes to the person dragging the lump around and frowned just in time to hear Sayuri whisper something off to the side of him.

"Dad… Kuwabara… Hiei…"

He'd known it the second he'd seen that distinctive cone of copper hair. The man on the street may have been older now but he hadn't changed enough to be unrecognizable from his younger self. "Kuwabara… the guy on the street…" And there was something unmistakable about the red hair belonging to the figure in white a step behind. It was the same shade as the girl standing next to him. The third figure was a bit harder to see, but visible all the same. "And the guy from the tower…" He was on his feet before thoughts had managed to register in his brain, throwing the chair back against the wall with a clatter that made the redhead jump and spin back to him, "So you knew the whole damn time didn't you?"

"What?" She looked surprised but he wasn't buying it.

"Save the act Sayuri. What was this? Just some big freaking joke to you? Ha ha let's see how long I can lead Kazuki around by the nose without him realizing it's me." He ranted turning away from her to pace. He could just see that smug little smirk that would be on her face at pulling some kind of prank on him, at tricking him so well into thinking she was on his side, that she was helping him through all of this when she was just trying to make an idiot out of him. "You knew the whole time exactly who he was…"

"No I didn't." She cut across coolly, "If I had why wouldn't I have just told you?"

"I don't know. Maybe making people suffer is just how you damned demons get your kicks." She recoiled from his words and he rushed on, "That's it isn't it? How long have you been setting this up? Since the day we met?" She'd had him running around like a dumb dog chasing his tail this whole time, laughing behind his back whenever he made a supposedly miraculous discovery. "Well good job Sayuri, you made me look like a real idiot." She had to have known, if she knew all of those people she'd just been playing him. Getting a laugh out of seeing him try to catch up with what she already knew.

"Why should I have bothered? You're doing an excellent job of it all on your own. Now why don't you try using your brain for a second and tell my why if I was trying to hide this from you I would have gone to such trouble to get the tapes?" Even reinforcing the back of the room with thick tree roots she'd nearly been dropped into the abyss of crumbling rock. "Why would I have put myself through all this trouble and run away from my family just to come along if it was all just a joke? If I'd known why put myself in danger?" There was something dangerous in the depths of her eyes that should have stopped or at least startled him, "What would I have gotten out of it?"

Too angry by the perceived betrayal of someone he had dared to trust Kazuki rushed on, not wanting to believe that she might have been learning these things at the same time he was. Too hurt that she would keep such a big secret from him to bother forming complete thoughts before they left him. "Oh yeah, you were in real danger. I didn't see any of those things trying to eat you. You probably put them there trying to feed me to your little demon buddies. I bet the truck was a set up too so you wouldn't have to come this far. Even if it had hit you, you're a demon; your body's different so you would have been fi…"

SMACK.

The sharp echo of the initial contact echoed through the small room several times in the second it took him to hit the floor. Holding his cheek Kazuki sat up and watched her lower her open hand back to her side.

"I don't appreciate being falsely accused, particularly of something as nonsensical and half baked as this theory of yours. If you think I got some kind of perverse thrill out of all of this then…" She paused to take a long slow breath, "You aren't worth it." Sayuri finished and calmly left the room.

X

Was he really that stupid? Couldn't he see the holes in his own argument? How could he even start to think she might have been behind this whole thing? She'd suspected days ago that someone might have been trying to lead them somewhere, she'd even brought up the idea and he'd dismissed it. And how could he dare to think she might have been endangering him on purpose? She'd nearly died trying to find the information he'd been after. Didn't the fact that she'd waited until he was out of the ruined stadium before triggering the collapse to retrieve the tapes prove she was unwilling to risk his life? Why would she try to feed him to some demon?

The whole trip had been his idea.

Tired of walking at last Sayuri sank onto a fallen tree resting in the grass several feet from the forest she'd come out of and even further from the one that started on the other side of the field. That Kazuki could suspect her of using this as some kind of game_… hurt_. Staring down at her trembling hands she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. She'd really thought she was going to die when that truck had been coming at her, how could he not have noticed that? Have thought she'd willing throw herself in front of one or that Kuwabara would have allowed her to? Would she have survived if it had hit her? Certainly her father or his friends would have, they might have been hurt but they would have lived. She probably wouldn't have been that lucky.

"You really didn't know… did you?" His voice was hesitant but he sat beside her without pause. Once again he'd appeared without her noticing. How long had he been following her?

"No." She said shortly, not looking at him. "I started to think something was off when Kuwabara knew your name, but I had no idea they knew him. I didn't even know they fought in the tournament how could I have known they were on the same team?" She added finally after several long seconds of silence.

"You don't seem that upset about it?" He was staring at the tree line purposely avoiding her eyes.

"I'm not." She was getting tired of explaining things to him. He didn't need to know that her father had all kinds of secrets; Kazuki probably wouldn't have understood that she'd stopped expecting him to tell her everything a long time ago. If it was something she needed to know her father would have told her.

"Look…" He shifted onto his knees to turn to her, "I was stupid and I let my mouth get away with me…" She was still looking away from him and Kazuki sighed and hung his head, knowing from the almost vacant expression on her face that she was lost in her own thoughts and not listening to him. "Hello… Earth to Sayuri…"

"I'm listening Kazuki." She caught the hand waving in front of her face and returned it to his lap without looking at him. Sayuri was seriously considering ignoring him, but she was listening.

"You know it's freaky as hell when you do that…" It wasn't the first time he'd thought she was zoning out and she'd caught him off guard by being completely conscious of her surroundings, "Like you're sleeping with your eyes open or something…"

"I was thinking." She answered.

"Don't you ever take a break? All that work can't be good for your brain. You're gonna wear it out and turn into a zombie…" he stood and holding his arms out in front of him gave his best impression of a moaning shuffling brain hungry fiend. She didn't smile. "Come on Sayuri, I know I was jerk, so just get it over with already. Hit me or yell at me or whatever it's gonna take. Just stop being mad at me."

Looking at that pleading look she got a stab of guilt over the vibrant red handprint still on his cheek. "I'm not mad." She answered, and really she wasn't. That was the closest thing she'd ever heard to a serious apology come from Kazuki and she must have been a sucker for brown eyes because the resentment she'd been building up was deflated as well. "And I already hit you…" She added looking away again.

"Yeah, and pretty damn hard, guess I'm lucky you decided not to deck me, I'd probably be seeing stars…"

They were quiet for a long time, sitting a few feet apart staring in opposite directions. "Smells like rain." Sayuri whispered finally, breaking the silence.

He glanced up at the blue sky and doubted her prediction, but didn't argue. "Want to go watch some more of the tape?"

"No." She saw his shoulders slump from the corner of her eye and decided to explain, knowing he thought she was still angry, "The people on that tape are my family… and even if I know they survived I don't think I could take seeing them hurt…"

He pushed himself to his feet, "What are you going to do then? Stay here?" When she nodded he started into the tree, "I guess I'll catch up with you later then." She turned to smile at him and he was careful to see if it reached her eyes, which he was glad to see it did. At least he hadn't permanently pissed off the one person willing to put up with him most of the time.

He guessed he was about half way back to the hotel when the rain started. The sort of pleasant rain that landed softly and wasn't cold or hard enough to sting, that seemed to make more noise tapping on the trees than there was actually rain to make. It made the glistening leaves and grass glow almost the same shade of green as her eyes. Maybe green wasn't such a bad color after all.

The sudden whooshing report of an explosion echoing through the trees froze him in the middle of a step. He stood listening to the lingering echoes stiffly until a second boom hit him like a shockwave directly to the chest. It had come from behind him, where Sayuri had stayed.

The trees and underbrush lost all definition as he passed them, becoming blurs in the corners of his eyes as he focused only on running, leaping tree roots and dodging low hanging branches. His pulse raced and the sudden feeling of dread twisted his stomach. The horrible irregular chorus of explosions continued rushing to try overtaking his heart rate. It was worse when everything suddenly went silent.

Breaking through the tree line at top speed his nearly fell several times as he skidded to a halt, tearing up clumps of scorched grass he attempted to slow himself and keep from falling into the blanket of still warm ash coating the ground. Staring he watched the little flakes fall like too dark snow, settling with a disturbing hush all across the clearing. Instantly his eyes went to the crater where the fallen tree had been but there was no trace of the wood or the redhead that had been perched on it. Drawing in a breath he coughed as the warm particle filled air clogged in his lungs. Gasping he started forward, ignoring the paper thin flakes hitting him and the pattering of the suddenly frigid rain streaking the dark gray soot down his face and arms, soaking it into his clothes and his hair. How had this happened so quickly?

"Sayuri…!" He managed at last, struggling forward through the ankle deep layer of ash. There were no footsteps except his, was it possible she'd been trapped in it? If not then where was she? "Sayuri…!" His voice was shrill from the sheer volume he screamed the name with.

The wind shifted, dragging what of the ash that hadn't been soaked up into the air again. The first flash of bright green turned his blood cold. Rushing forward he snatched up the torn chunk of rose whip with shaking hands, examining the singed uneven edges and broken thorns. "What the hell…" He breathed looking around again. If this had happened to the whip, what might have happened to her? "Sayuri…!" He screamed again and again silence rang back to him. "Oh no…" He breathed letting the whip fall from his fingertips. Why had he left her out here alone? Why had he just believed there was nothing else on the island with them?

"Give the girl some credit. She isn't finished yet."


	12. Caught in the Rain

_Run_. The thought echoed in her head again and again. Don't stop, just _run_.

Dodging around the trees she turned impulsively, trying to avoid going the same direction for too long or following any predictable pattern. A glance over her shoulder revealed that the plan wasn't working. No matter how quickly she ran the thin dark shape kept up with her. She wasn't gaining any ground. Something brushed her arm and she yelped reflexively, spun to the side just as the explosion rocked the air, the force of it nearly knocking her from her unstable footing.

Why couldn't she see them? Something tangible had to be causing these explosions, she'd felt several of them connect with her before they went off, but there was nothing to see and only the faintest trace of any scent that was far too soft to be any more helpful than feeling the explosives. _Why couldn't she see them_? Spinning again around a thick tree trunk Sayuri didn't dare to pause. Breathing heavily she continued at a sprint, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her arm that hung limply at her side and just run. She didn't look back again; she could tell from the footsteps that her pursuer was coming closer.

Another explosion startled her and she stiffened. So far she'd managed to avoid the maximum damage of the invisible devices. The first time she'd realized she could feel them touch her skin it had startled her and slowed her reaction time. She'd moved fast enough to be burned but not bloodied. The wound could have been much worse, if she hadn't moved in time is was very possible she could have lost the limb entirely. Still with the scorched skin covering almost the entire appendage it was unusable. To avoid being cornered she had lashed out with her whip in every possible direction as fast as she was able to make a moving barrier the bombs couldn't pass without being detonated. It had worked… until the multiple explosions had shredded the weapon.

Faced with the destruction of her rose whip, bombs she couldn't see and the crippling of her left arm Sayuri had been forced to abandon any plans of fighting directly and forced into evasive action. She'd purposely dared the much longer dash to the trees in the opposite direction of the hotel, unwilling to lead the demon to either it or Kazuki. It should have been easy enough to lose him in the trees once she'd put some distance between them, then she could catch up to Kazuki and get off the island as soon as possible. It wasn't turning out to be that simple.

Yet another series of booms had her weaving, dodging away from the heat and light and sound. The sudden creaking almost caught her off guard and she was forced to flip herself backward to avoid being crushed by a falling tree.

Scrambling across the trunk she glared back at the pale dark haired man chasing her. Small empty violet eyes followed her every move. He'd slowed to a walk, one hand stuffed in his pocket as he came closer slowly, taunting her with his silence and lack of urgency. Suppressing the urge to simply attack him Sayuri almost forced herself to think. This was not someone she could fight head on. Even with any tactic she could devise she doubted she'd be a match for him.

The first drops of rain hit her, soothing beads of cool moisture that rolled over her heated skin. The weather she had been waiting for had finally caught up, and, she realized as she heard a voice echoing through the trees, Kazuki wouldn't be far behind. For the briefest of moments it was a welcome and comforting thought, but as the wood shattered beneath her and Sayuri hit the ground hard before rolling through the dead leaves and twigs she knew it was desperation. True Kazuki had handled a few lower level demons on his own with little trouble, but this demon was not lower level, and even if they fought together they would probably both be outclassed.

Still… she was very tired of running. It was time to do something, before Kazuki showed up and tried to get in the middle.

Swallowing a grunt of pain and exertion she climbed to her feet again, bits of dead leaves and moss falling off her clothes, stuck with the twigs in her hair and a handful of deep red in her palm. The delicate red petals peeled apart, pouring out of her hand like segmented water and danced along the air away from her joining the embers of the practically vaporized tree trunk. As the last spilled off of her fingertips she brought her arms back to her side then raised her right and held the left to her side, the physical gesture guiding the stream of red into a whirling cone. Holding the pose she concentrated, entirely focused on coating each of the dancing red smudges with her energy, sharpening their edges from velvet to steel. A small chuckle was the first and only sound she had heard the demon make since he'd appeared. She watched as he came closer, waiting, knowing that within only a few steps the razor sharp petals would tear into him. And then the small pops began.

She watched in horror as the petals disintegrated into tiny tufts of ash in the wake of firecracker sized explosions. Dropping her aching left arm back to her side she staggered back a step and mentally cursed.

The next rush of sound was so close to her head it swept her hair entirely to the left, hot air stung her skin and the lick of flames touched her neck. She flinched back and nearly fell away from it. Jumping back again she was dazed by the ringing in her right ear and instinctively reached up in search of blood. The sting of more burns greeted the contact but her dirt smudged fingers were lacking the crimson liquid she'd feared. There had to be something else she could do. Fighting him from a distance was doing her no good. Running had done no better. That left her only one real option. She'd been avoiding a direct charge; certain it would make her an easy target and uncertain of getting too close to the unnamed demon that had come from nowhere and attacked her with no warning, wary of what other abilities he might have. She had to do _something_ though. And even if this didn't work in her advantage… maybe, if she hurt the demon badly enough, her friend would have a chance.

Running directly for the demon she pivoted on her right foot as she reached him, bringing her left leg up for a kick that was blocked. Having expected that she continued with a punch meant for the side of his head; the hit never connected.

The scream of agony was ripped from her throat as the force of the blast and the shock knocked her backward. The coppery sting of her own blood churned her stomach or would have if she could have focused on anything but the sharp stinging ache that seared through her leg. She sprang back up to her feet right away, carried up by muscle memory before her brain could counteract the command. She didn't dare look down at the injured leg, almost frightened of seeing the torn flesh and blood that would be there. And now with only the right side of her body usable she was at an even greater disadvantage.

Balancing unsteadily on her right leg she struck out with another punch, this time her knuckles skidded off the metal mask and she quickly turned her hand sideways and straightened her fingers for a chop on the backswing, as the demon focused on her right hand she forced her left into a fist. The pain of the burn was still excruciating, but giving up was not an option and she forced her left arm into motion; the punch carrying her poorly balanced weight to the side and twisting her ankle. Compared to the agony the other side of her body was experiencing it was barely noticeable. Her fist connected with the demon's eye, causing him to recoil sharply, but lacked the strength to actually knock him back.

The sudden sharp clamp closing around her unbendable and slightly elevated left leg caused her to scream again, unable to stop as the cold metallic end dug into her wound and forced her weight on to the injured limb. Powerless to stop herself she crumpled to the ground, trying to swallow the continued screams of agony fighting to escape her desperately clenched teeth. She turned sharply as something moved and stared wide eyed at the purple orb, not hearing the mad cackling that escaped it as she watched it's cracked mouth open and it's little fuse grow shorter. Helplessly she struggled, but the sharpened metal claws burrowed deeper into her flesh the more she moved. Still she fought against it franticly, knowing that this was one of the bombs and it was about to detonate.

"That's enough now Karasu…"

Turning she stared toward the new comer, reaching for a seed to form a new rose whip. The blossom exploded almost as soon as it formed. Watching the short grey creature come closer she recoiled searching desperately for an escape route now that she was pinned between two demons.

"We don't want our newest test subject beyond repair…" Reaching into the pocket of his white suit jacket the balding demon withdrew a syringe filled with yellow liquid, "Now hold still little girl this won't hurt a bit…"

As the demon approached she leaned as far from him and his needle as she could, but trapped by the hooks there was no place to go. She whimpered as her injured left arm was caught and started to swing with her right fist. Cold hands clamped into her arm, halting her progress. Sayuri struggled against their respected holds, panting for air as panic set in. "_KAZUKI_!"

XXX

"Give the girl some credit, she's not finished yet." He turned fully around to find the source of the harsh voice and nearly overlooked her at first. The small heavily wrinkled woman glared at him, her pink-grey hair rippling in the building wind.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, fists clenched at his sides.

"But it might be kinder if she was…" The woman continued, strolling past him heedless of his attention as the popping of explosions began in the next pocket of trees.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" he demanded, his attention wavering as he urged himself to go after Sayuri instead of standing around talking.

"That _you_ two morons shouldn't be here for one thing..." The woman snapped, turning back to glare through hard brown eyes, "Who'd have thought being dimwitted was hereditary and contagious."

"Look you old…" The loud thump of something falling distracted him, "I don't have time for you…" He shouted starting off toward the sound.

"You won't reach her in time." The woman announced, keeping pace with him easily despite being half his height.

"Yeah… well I have to try…"

"And then what will you do?"

"Kick its ass…" He snapped, annoyed that she was following him, annoyed that she was there, and not caring who or what she was anymore.

"That's what you think?"

He ignored her; choosing instead to focus on running, trying to follow the series of rapid pops reverberating through the trees. It was a lot harder than he'd thought. The sound echoed and bounced seeming to come from everywhere at once. The scream echoed back, stabbing like knives into his eardrums. Following the continued cries he was left with nowhere to go and a knot in his stomach when they stopped. The ringing silence stung. "Sayuri…!" He screamed, turning again and again.

"Oh yes, scream and bring them back to you." She snarled looking at him. "If she couldn't handle it what makes you think you can?"

"I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm done wasting my time with you."

The sheer desperation of the scream that carried his name had him running again, even if he was going in the wrong direction. He would find her and whatever it was that was after her, he knew that. Listening to the silence falling around his pounding steps he ran.

XXX

"Who took her?" He demanded marching toward the woman sitting on the rock, drenched from the rain and shaking. "I know you freaking know so just tell me where she is you old bitch…"

"So you can rush in and get yourself killed?" He clenched his teeth and swallowed the insult, "It's your own fault. You dumbasses just couldn't follow the plan…"

"What the hell do you mean plan? There wasn't any…" Realization dawned as he watched her hair shift in the breeze. "It was you… you're the one who dropped the damned ring… this is all your fault…" He surged forward intending to put his fist through her face, which it did go, directly through her head and into the rock wall behind. She didn't even move. "What are you?"

She sighed. "Do you want to save her?"

"Of course…" He whispered, nursing his sore knuckles, "She's only here because of me… I let this happen…"

"Yes you did, but she's just as responsible. This isn't how it was supposed to go." She hung her head and pushed herself up turned to look at him, "You two screwed up so we're going off script kid… and I can't guarantee you'll survive it. I can teach you how to save her, but if you slack off at all, give me any crap I'm gone and the girl's dead. Are we clear?" It was the best way to teach him really, if this kid was as much like his dimwit father as she suspected he was he would thrive with someone relying on him, and if the fox's brat was going to make it off this island they didn't have much time.

"Crystal…"


	13. Let the games begin

This was probably… No, without a doubt this was the most stupid thing he'd ever done. He was following a ghost, the ghost of a woman he didn't know anything about, or even why he was following beyond the obvious. People weren't to be trusted, particularly the ones he didn't know, and all the ones he did know were worth questioning too most of the time. But this old dead woman, Genkai she'd called herself, there was something about, or more he had a feeling about. One of those deep seated unquestionable feelings in the core of his being that told him he _had_ to listen to her, that it was vital.

That they were walking away from the forest Sayuri had been lost in was disconcerting. The thing he wanted to be doing most in the world was looking for her, finding the thing that had taken her and destroying it. But as much as he hated to admit it his new tour guide was right. Sayuri was the person he hoped for when he felt in over his head. He'd realized that with a stab of guilt when he'd found the clearing spattered with blood and remembered her screaming. If she hadn't been able to evade whatever had happened he was going to need all the help he could get and any tricks this hag could teach him he was all for.

Sayuri wasn't dead yet after all. He'd learned to recognize her energy to some extent, it was weaker than usual but not gone, and he hadn't found a body so she must have still been alive, he just couldn't tell where. He'd deal with that when he had a way to help her.

X

It was a snap decision. One she normally might not have made, that hadn't been a part of her plan, but she'd done it this time. Faster than she'd initially realized for one simple reason; she didn't want to girl to die, not yet. However, being corporeally challenged as she currently was, there was also nothing she could do personally to help her directly.

Sayuri had stumbled into her planning unintentionally and become an unwitting ally, but the littlest redhead coming to some kind of actual harm had never been deliberate. She'd been looking for a way for more than a year when, like the answer to some kind of prayer, Sayuri had transferred schools and happened across Yusuke's son. All of Genkai's troubles would have been concluded if she'd recognized the name or the boy, but of course those morons just weren't going to work with her. Sayuri had no idea. And so, Maze Castle, the concentration ring. With the boy's resemblance to his father someone was bound to notice eventually, and she would have much preferred it be one of the ones who wouldn't want to kill him for it. Kazuki needed to know what he would undoubtedly be up against one day, better in a controlled way so he was ready for it. She'd waited, biding her time until they were in the right position. The lingering danger of Maze Castle was nothing compared to what it had once been, with Sayuri in tow the boy should have been fine and one of the others should have been informed and gone. Then it would have been their problem and she could wash her hands of the whole thing, let nature take its course. But it just had to be Hiei, who still refused to use his damn brain, and that idiot Yusuke was still screwing up her plans and her peaceful afterlife. How the hell could she have known about the damned tape?

She'd known he had left the briefcase, that had always been her back up plan, that knowing children Kazuki must have gone through it and so she'd provided him with the distinctive concentration ring, so he would show the tools to Sayuri, who had it been a few years ago would have run directly to inform her father, and again Genkai could wash her hands of the ordeal and leave it to the ones left behind. But no Yusuke just had to leave a spirit world mission tape with everything else. And by the time she'd decided to check back in the damage had been done. She could have found a way to contact someone else, brought the Calvary running to the rescue, but… apparently her days of teaching hadn't ended with her life. She hated being a victim of anything, particularly circumstance, but opportunities like this didn't come along every day. They could both learn something.

Sayuri may have been trained to protect herself, but she'd never been put to a real test, her father and uncles were always there to jump in when she might have needed them. And Kazuki… well…

She glanced over her shoulder at the slumping boy. She couldn't feel the rain that was drenching him, and he didn't seem to notice it either walking with determined steps. Kazuki needed to learn everything. And with the need to save his friend driving him she was actually wondering what this boy might be capable of, his father had surprised her after all, his mother also on occasion though in entirely different ways. What surprises would teaching Kazuki bring?

"You said something about heredity…" He said suddenly, breaking the silence for the first time in several minutes.

"What you don't know the meaning…" She sneered, schooling her pensive face into a suitable scowl before she turned back.

"I know the word." He was looking at her with his arms crossed and a hard look in his brown eyes, "And I know that when people use it about anything bad and _me_ they're talking about _him_. That means you must have known him."

"I did and we don't have time for any sentimental crap."

"I wasn't looking for any. I don't care that you knew him. I just think we should get it straight that I'm not Yusuke."

"No you aren't…" She agreed, "Or she'd be safe by now." She said it purposely to get the reaction she did, to see that sting of pain and guilt, the little spark of anger. He was going to need drive. He needed the push, because this wasn't about to be easy.

"Listen, whatever trick you're gonna teach me let's just get it over with so I can…"

"Trick…?" She laughed, hard, "There's no trick boy, just hard work. Normally I would spread this out over at least six months just for the basics…"

"Six months?" He cut across, "Hate to break it to grandma, but I don't have six months to waste."

"No, you don't, so we're doing it without the breaks. This is going to be harder than anything you've ever imagined…" She hoped the smirk on her face terrified him as she turned away, he wouldn't be the first.

"I'm not going to just leave her." He announced suddenly, loudly, "I don't have time to sit around playing at some training routine, Sayuri's in trouble…"

"She'll live a while yet. You're the one in real trouble. Besides it's time to accept it. You don't have a damned choice."

XXX

She woke up alone.

Of course it took her a few moments to recognize the fact; lying as still as she was able feigning unconsciousness she listened to the silence around her, pulled in air in an attempt to analyze any lingering smells. All she could identify was the almost overwhelming reek of chemicals. Taking the chance of being wrong she cracked her eyes open before lifting her eyelids completely, she needed to know what she was dealing with.

"You mustn't give up Sayuri." An achingly familiar voice whispered through her mind, so real she might have actually been hearing it rather than remembering, "You're only beaten, when you let yourself be." She wasn't ready to be beaten yet.

Actually sitting up took immense effort, and made her nauseous. Ignoring her churning stomach and spinning head she glanced down. Her left arm and leg had been bandaged as well as a patch on the right side of her neck. She couldn't have been unconscious long because the wounds still throbbed painfully. Whoever had drugged her clearly hadn't been aware of the elevated tolerance to toxins she'd inherited from her father. Then again, when you handled poisonous plants on a regular basis that was something you developed quickly so maybe it wasn't inherited exactly but learned.

Ignoring the stabbing complaints of her sore limbs and muscles she slid sideways on the metal table she'd been left on, lowering her feet over the edge. With a bracing breath she dropped, grimacing but swallowing all but the faintest whimper of sound as she landed. Sitting around waiting to heal was not an option at the moment. Absently her hand rose to her stash of seeds in search of a painkiller to ease the torment of her ravaged appendages.

They were gone. _Every one_ of her seeds was gone. Panic edging a bit closer she almost held her breath as she attempted to gather her shaken composure. The seeds were gone, but there was always another way, she just had to find it. Concentrating hard she attempted to summon the sharpened petals to her palm, and received only a sharp pain like an electric shock. Not enough energy. That only complicated matters.

Leaning back against the table to help ease the weight off of her injured leg Sayuri took a moment to examine the room more closely. There were no windows set in the cinderblock walls, the only light in the room was provided by a set of burners simmering under large beakers on a table set against the far side of the room, she could also tell that was where the stink was coming from. Uncertain of what the chemicals were she quickly decided against going near them. The last thing she needed was an explosion or more burns. The stinging overwhelming stink against her sensitive nostrils helped her make that decision. Turning her attention away from the low counter she eyed the table between it and where she stood. Her eyes rose from the dull surface to the door set in against the wall.

Moving slowly she pushed herself away from the table and limped around the far side, bare feet silent on the cold concrete floor. Each step sent a searing blade of agony up her side but she refused to give in to it. To get out of here she was going to have to move a lot faster than she was right now pain or no pain. She paused at the far side of the next table, leaning heavily against the rounded edge. Gasping for breath she squeezed her eyes closed as the room tipped sideways and her stomach clenched again doubling her over in an effort to control the roiling contents. Righting herself a moment later the tips of the fingers on her un-bandaged right hand brushed fabric and she frowned, wondering if the wrappings on her left hand had come undone. Glancing down again her sharp eyes landed on a corner of some white cloth poking out from under the ledge. Her fingers dipped under another metal frame and she pulled delicately.

The small trey swung out from under without the slightest of noises, the square of cloth covering it fanning a bit around the edges. With only minor hesitation she ripped the cloth away. Resting on a blue matt the chrome tools glinted in the low light. She quickly dismissed the several pairs of tweezers, the small bladed scissors and larger metal tools she could only guess at the names of. The scalpel however she recognized in an instant. It wasn't large by any means, but it was a weapon. She grasped the metal handle and took a second to slip the tool into the bandages around her left arm, concealing the blade poking out along her arm to keep it from being seen. If someone happened across her and she needed it surprise might be her only advantage.

Her captors might be back any time now and she'd already wasted crucial minutes. It was time to move. As quickly as she was able Sayuri crossed the last few feet to the closed door. Her fingers closed around the handle and twisted. Finding it unlocked only worried her more as she wondered what might be on the other side.

Easing the door open the bright lights of the hallway hurt her eyes enough to make her close them. Relying on her ears and nose she stepped into the hall before being able to regain her vision. Even when she could look around again she found no signs of life nearby. Taking her best guess she turned and started down the long curved hallway, hoping she had picked the right way.

The continued motion was excruciating. Limping along, half dragging her damaged leg it was hard to make much progress. The white hot agony danced along her nerve endings and made putting it out of her mind difficult. She could have cried when she found the stairs. Taking the complete lack of windows to mean she was underground Sayuri braced herself and started up the flight of steps one at a time, gripping the banister tightly and gritting her teeth.

Without knowing how many floors down she was she would have no choice but the check each as she reached it. At least that would provide her with a chance to rest between flights.

Stepping through another doorway she eased into the hallway beyond, glancing around quickly in search of guards. Finding nothing she started down the hall toward a distant patch of light spilling around a corner. A window could provide her with either an escape route or a general location that could give her the information needed to make a more solid plan. Hurrying down the tiled corridor she was startled by the reverberating footsteps coming towards her and increased her speed, dodging around a corner into an adjoining hall. Listening closely to the single set of approaching footfalls Sayuri pressed close against the wall, waiting to see what would go passed.

The hand that closed around her shoulder moments later did not bring the expected frozen surprised. Tensed in preparation for an attack and caught by the surprise by not only the scent of a demon and physical contact, attack became her instinct.

Contrary to the common belief Sayuri Minamino did know _how_ to kill. She knew exactly where to strike and how deep to make the wound. She may not have had a taste for it, but there were times when such actions were unavoidable, and she knew that as well as anyone. Taking offense at the very human values her father had instilled in her one of her claimed uncles had taken matters into his own hands. Sayuri spun to the demon behind her; a twitch of her wrist butted the end of the concealed scalpel against her arm and slid it into position for her fingers to close around, freeing the blade. With an ease that disturbed her on some level she struck the fatal blow and stepped back from the blood.

The sudden impact of two small square patches against her back was a stimulus she felt for only a matter of fractions of seconds before the sharp flow of electricity hit her. The reflexive tightening the current caused spread through her to her damaged muscles and Sayuri hit her knees.

"I certainly hope you're worth all this trouble." The grinning square chinned face appeared in front of hers and she glared into thin dark eyes. "I've been so very hospitable to you." She instantly hated that grating laughter that assaulted her ears. "Get her up…"

She ignored the hands hauling her up to her feet in favor of continuing to glare, "Who are you?"

He seemed annoyed that he had to answer. "It won't be much longer now before the entire world will know the brilliant Dr. Ichigaki. I will be revered for centuries as the most…"

"Wrong." Her eyes were hard as she continued, "Petty creatures like you aren't worth remembering."

The annoyed scowl on that pallid grey face was extremely satisfying. "We'll see when my tests are completed and perfected. Since you've so clearly recovered let's start the trials right away. Take her."

Another set of hands gripped her, digging painfully into her burned arm and peeling away the half concealed scalpel. Glancing up Sayuri was surprised to find the same oddly vacant look on her current captors' faces as her original pursuer had possessed, with the only marked difference being that their eyes were surprisingly red. She didn't struggle as they led her down the hall, for the moment going along could provide her with a general layout, more information about their numbers, for when she did get away and could complete her escape.

"It is so hard to keep good test subjects…" The demon, she assumed Dr. Ichigaki from the conceited pride on his face when he'd praised the name, was walking ahead of them and laughing to himself, "They burn out so quickly before you can find out everything you need to. Particularly the control subjects, they just don't last against the experimental ones. I hope you'll provide me with some better data than the last few that wandered in here. You will have to earn your keep." Glancing back he smirked, "Of course I can't allow you the use of your energy, and that puts you at something of a disadvantage, but I can't have my more valuable subjects tearing each other apart..." So that was why she couldn't channel her energy, he'd found some way of blocking it, she would have to study that later and find a way to undo it, no doubt the effects of whatever he'd done would wear off eventually, but if she could counteract it before he expected that could be an advantage. "Try not to die after only the first match…" He stepped to the side and vanished down a hall, leaving Sayuri and the demons dragging her to walk forward alone.

The shadows in the hallway faded against the daylight as they progressed. The domed passage ended suddenly, and with her eyes still adjusted to the shadowy interior couldn't see through the brilliant glow. Still outside had to be a good thing, it was less work to escape if she was leaving the maze of halls and rooms. There was a chance of guards being posted outside so for the moment it would be wiser to stay with the escort that had been set for her, at least until she saw what she would be dealing with outside. Waiting for the proper moment Sayuri was pushed through the doorway and into the sunlight beyond before her now aching shoulder and arm were released, used to being held up the extra strain on her leg was enough to make her wobble.

Stabilizing herself Sayuri glanced around. Her eyes widened and narrowed rapidly at the circular dirt and grass space she'd been taken into. She'd been hoping to be led outside of a building, not into the center of a stadium, but that wasn't made her frown. There was a circle of dirt in the center of the arena floor and all around it, half buried in dirt and grass, piled occasionally against the low stone wall surrounding her, weather and blood stained broken and solid some still with the faded remains of flesh were countless bones.

"My earlier models were shown prematurely, but I've found a way to rectify that. Testing in all situations is absolutely necessary."

"How many…" Human and demons, she could tell just from looking at the things that there was a mix of both, and what could have been animal bones as well. It made her stomach churn again in a way that had nothing to do with pain. Tearing her eyes away from them she located Ichigaki where he was practically rolling with laughter in the stands above her.

"Some sacrifices are necessary in search of perfection."

"Monster…" She breathed, staring at the tunnel opening at the far side of the stadium she watched another demon, something green and horned with disproportionally long arms walk into view. "Making people fight to the death for your amusement…"

"For science girl, these are not simple fights; these are carefully monitored experimental studies. And you are going to do your part… Either way I will get my data. You can resist of just stand there and die."

Fight or die. Staring across the arena at the demon approaching she felt a stab of guilt. What kind of experiments could he be doing on these things? How many more were there? How many accomplices did this man have? Looking up again she watched as several more demons settled into the stands and a thin dark haired man settled down next to Ichigaki, the one he'd called Karasu, who was responsible for the explosion and wounds to her limbs. With him watching directly that made any plans of attempting an escape from here little more than suicide. Apparently she had no choice but to play along for now. Fight or die. "You should know, Ichigaki, when I get the chance, You, I can kill without guilt." Turning she dodged the now running demon's first attack and ignoring the pain in her leg prepared for the next.


	14. Haunted by the Past

The wind was blowing. She didn't know _because_ she could feel it. That was probably the most alarming part of being a ghost, not being able to feel her surroundings any longer. She was standing on the ground, she only knew because she looked, the wind was blowing, she only knew because of the leaves moving on the cliff overhead. The boy was working, _that_ she knew because she could feel it, just like she could feel that the girl was alive.

She felt a stab of guilt thinking about Sayuri. Weeks into the training regiment and Kazuki was doing unexpectedly well, but the other teen had yet to turn up, meaning that while she was surviving she had not found her own way out. That was good for Kazuki, not so much for Sayuri. Her rising concern was not lessened any by the helicopter resting forlornly a few feet from her. Genkai's initial reaction to seeing the green aircraft was as always a smile, a small fond, barely there trace of a smile. At least all of her flight simulators hadn't gone to waste.

Tearing her eyes away from the vehicle she turned out into the water and watched a dark head bob against the waves for quite some time before sinking beneath the surface for nearly two full minutes. There was a brief second when she thought he wouldn't be coming back up, but there was one thing she could say for Kazuki Urameshi: The boy was _driven_. Not once had she been made to question his commitment or effort and force him. Kazuki was pushing himself far harder than she probably could have even if she'd been in a physical body. Not that she had any intentions of so much as hinting that to him. That kind of single-minded determination was refreshing. But looking at him made her miss her half-assed dimwit some of the time. Yusuke had been a pain in the ass that much was true, but he'd kept life interesting. Genkai chuckled at herself for that one. This was afterlife not life, why should it be interesting at all? Of course this wasn't what she'd pictured for her afterlife when she'd finally passed again a few years earlier. This time she hadn't died half assed, she'd thought it was really over. She should have known better, fate didn't have her finishing with Yusuke Urameshi just yet… and she'd thought they'd already said goodbye. She'd known he was leaving the day he turned up at the compound the last time; she just hadn't seen fit to tell anyone else…

XXXXXX

They'd been sitting together in silence quite some time before their eyes even met and when they did she was the first one to look away. There was something broken in his gaze that actually pained her, because she knew there was absolutely nothing either of them could do about it. That kind of pain didn't just go away. The knowledge was shared in that simple glance, and it hung unspoken between them, not uncomfortably, just there, like the smoke of her nearly finished cigarette or the sharp edge of the morning air.

He picked up the mug resting on the floor beside him and pretended to take a drink. He always pretended, she assumed to humor her, but he never did drink the coffee, just let her think he did and dumped it out when he thought she wasn't looking. She always made hers too strong for his taste, but he'd stopped complaining about her lousy coffee years earlier, there were other things to gripe about, but apparently not today. Grinding the tip of her cigarette into the ashtray she reached for her own half forgotten cup and took a deep swallow of the cooling bitter liquid. It combined with the smoke residue to leave a gritty feeling in her mouth. "I'm surprised to see you up this early slacker; shouldn't you be in bed somewhere?" There was a hint of disappointment when he only shrugged and continued to stare down into the valley below the staircase they sat at the top of. The silence stretched again into the morning stillness, it settled into the dips and low hanging clouds muffling the world around them. "It gets better…" She whispered, unable to stop herself from offering the abandoned young man some kind of comfort, even if she already knew it wouldn't change anything.

He looked at her for a second, that haunting echo of all his past pains in his eyes that hers weren't capable of meeting that made him look almost as old as she did for a moment before it faded into the background again and that forced smile was back, "I think you're losing it Grandma. I swear you're more senile every time I see you."

Ignoring the jibe, actually almost pleased to hear it Genkai reached for her cigarettes, placed one between her lips and reached for the book of matches that she'd left by the pack. Flipping the flimsy cover open she frowned at finding them all gone. "Here…" The flash of something metal drew her attention to his hand as he held it out, a small silver rectangle with an opened hinged top; she leaned into the flame and inhaled the first wisps of hot air and smoke. The lid closed with a solid click. They sat there for quite a while longer, watching the sunlight crawl across the ground and the mist fade into the warmth of the day. Eventually, she'd lost count of the minutes and cigarettes later, he stood and started back down the stairs, she turned her head a fraction to watch him go and was momentarily blinded in one eye by the flash of sunlight reflecting off a little silver square.

Gathering the lighter she turned back toward him, "You dropped something dimwit…"

"Keep it." At the bottom of the stairs he was about to keep walking until she said his name.

"Yusuke…"

"Don't go getting all sentimental on me you old bat," Turning back now he smiled, "I'm just, quitting, so I won't have any use for it, that's all." He spun on his toe and waved over his shoulder, "See you around Genkai, it's been fun."

She laughed at that. Fun…? What part of any of it had been fun? Picking through her countless memories she stared down at the lighter's polished surface. Did he really expect her to believe it was used? He probably still had the receipt in his pocket. "Goodbye dimwit…" She breathed once he was long gone. Once Keiko had left, had simply vanished like that, she'd known it wouldn't be long before Yusuke would go too, chased away by memories he couldn't admit that he was unable to face, by that unbearable and unexplainable feeling of loss that he had just assumed was attached to his surroundings. She could have told him a change of scenery wouldn't banish it, but there were just some things he had to learn on his own…

XXX

"Hey Grandma…!" The voice pulled her out of her thoughts so quickly she half expected to be sitting on that porch still looking down at him. It took her a second to recognize Kazuki struggling against the waves, there were some instances when she could have sworn he was Yusuke, just going by a different name, but it always passed quickly, "How much longer am I going to do this?" He was yelling.

Frowning out at him she sighed inwardly, maybe she'd been too quick in thinking he wasn't quite so lazy but any retort she'd been about to give faded as Kazuki again slipped under the surface.

X

It was harder than he'd expected, even when the old woman had warned him that it would be he hadn't been anticipating this kind of hell. But he didn't stop, because _she_ wouldn't have, because she hadn't. If Sayuri could withstand whatever horrors were being inflicted on her then he would endure this. He tried not to think about her much, not that it did him any good, thinking of her fueled his determination of course, he would save her, he had to, but it also riddled him with guilt. It had been weeks now and there was no sign of her, and according to Genkai he still wasn't ready. And so Kazuki pushed himself harder every day, forced himself beyond anything he'd ever thought he was capable of, did more of each exercise than Genkai demanded, which was already quite a load.

But he was exhausted, uncertain of how much longer he could keep up the pace.

The frigid water surged up shoving him under the surface again. The cold had robbed him of feeling in his hands and feet hours ago, sometime after he'd started treading water. The blessing of that was that he could no longer feel the metal of the manacles that had been put around his wrists and ankles scraping his skin even as the weights attached to them tried to drag him under. Struggling weakly against their pull he was unable to do much more than slow his decent toward the sandy bottom at least ten feet below. The current buffeted him, but did little to alter his course downward either. Kazuki closed his eyes against the sting of the saltwater, struggling against his body's impulse to take another breath as his lungs demanded more air. He just needed a few seconds to rest and he would be able to pull himself back up, just a few seconds to… if only his heart wasn't beating so loud in his ears…

XXXXXX

He was drenched, at first that had bothered him. Now that he had been walking in it for a while he barely noticed the drops pattering down on and around him.

The yellow ball hit the pavement ahead of him and bounced toward his head spinning little beads of water off of its textured surface. Reflexively Kazuki caught it before it could hit him and frowned. He instantly recognized that the toy must have belonged to the kid running toward him. "Don't you know better than to play on the street?" He demanded loudly as the child reached him, holding the ball over his head, "Or in the rain?"

"I… I…" The little girl sniffed, her brown eyes filled with tears and he instantly recoiled from the twisted mashed up expression on her face.

"Hey I didn't…"

"What did you do now?" Why did it have to be her? Kazuki turned to watch the tall redhead coming toward him sheltered safely under a dark grey umbrella. Internally he groaned. The new girl just had the worst timing; she only seemed to turn up right at the moment that made it look like he was doing something rotten and even thought it was usually to someone who deserved it, she never stayed around long enough for him to explain that. Just rolled her pretty dark green eyes and kept going passed. He didn't answer as she stopped next to the girl and crouched down, placing her umbrella over both of them and leaving him in the rain, "Is he being mean to you?" The little girl nodded and the older one stood, casting an annoyed glance over her shoulder at him.

"I was just telling her not to play on the…"

"Would you like an ice cream cone?" She asked over him, her eyes on the child again. In an instant all traces of tears had vanished and been replaced by an eager smile. The new girl, Sayuri, he reminded himself, held out her hand and had it grasped right away by the raincoat clad little brunette. He glared after them as they started off down the sidewalk, chilled by the water dripping off his hair and under his collar. Grumbling under his breath he turned away from the pair, wondering what to do with the yellow rubber ball that he'd been left with. "Kazuki, aren't you coming?" He paused and turned back to find them both looking at him, still hand in hand under her umbrella. He suddenly didn't notice the rain anymore. Sayuri knew his name.

"Yeah… Why not..." He answered making his way toward them in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner, it wouldn't do any good to let her think he might be eager to go, "Here Kid, try not to drop it again." The little girl accepted the toy and rushed ahead, the rain rushing down over her floppy pink rain hat and splashing up around her boots. He walked silently next to her, surprised when he realized that she'd moved close enough to cover him with her umbrella too. Neither of them spoke for the two blocks it took to reach an open stand, where the clerk looked at Sayuri like she was insane but still provided her with three ice creams while Kazuki stood off to the side watching the little girl to make sure her ball didn't go flying into the street.

"Now…" Sayuri announced looking at the girl when she'd returned with the treat, the little girl's eyes tracing the cone in her hand, "If you want this you have to promise me not to play by the road anymore."

"I promise…" The girl, whose name he still didn't know, whined, almost dancing with eagerness.

"Alright, here you go." She handed over one of the ice creams, "You better head home now. And be careful." She turned and strolled back; joining him under the ledge he'd been lingering beneath to avoid the rain. "Haven't you ever heard that saying about flies and honey? It works on kids too."

"Are you sure she'll be okay walking home on her own?" Kazuki asked, hesitantly accepting a cone as he watched the little girl skipping down the sidewalk, ice cream in one hand and her little ball under the opposite arm. Beside him Sayuri only shrugged. Turning back from the street Kazuki looked down at his swirled ice cream cone. Glancing at the girl enjoying her own strawberry ice cream Kazuki had the distinct impression he'd just fallen victim to the "more flies with honey" approach.

XXX

He'd pulled himself half way toward the surface without realizing, and as he broke toward the top of the water, inhaling a badly needed and desire lungful of air he wasn't thinking about the ocean. He could taste the chocolate ice cream melting in his mouth, hear the rain beating down on the umbrella they'd walked under as they followed a block behind the little girl, neither of them admitting, but both fully aware that they were going that way to make sure the small brunette got home safely. Sucking in breath after breath of air he struggled against the turbulent water and weights still trying to force him back under.

They'd made sure the little girl got home safe. _He_ was going to make sure Sayuri made it home safe.

XXX

Rolling the gauze tightly into a spool she sank back against the steel bars behind her and examined the scratches extending down toward her elbow. Three long vicious scrapes that had barely stopped bleeding, but were showing no signs of infection, that was a good sign at least. The skin was already repairing itself, if she could avoid further injury to the arm it would probably be well again by late the next day. And even if it wasn't completely healed by the next day at least she was able to use her left arm again. She'd had the use of it back for several days now that the burns had faded, but it was still worth celebrating. So was her ability to walk without a limp. That she'd been fighting daily for several weeks now and hadn't acquired any further serious injuries was commendable as far as she was concerned.

"Look at you… sitting around on your ass…"

The voice startled her, both because of how suddenly it sounded and because she recognized it. "Genkai…?" Despite the few years that had passed since the woman's death, hers wasn't a voice Sayuri thought she would ever forget.

"Anyone could have broken out of this cell by now if they were serious…"

Sayuri scoffed, surprise fading as she watched the oddly familiar figure cross the dimly lighted room. There was something so oddly familiar about the woman standing there, the same lines in her face, the same hard brown eyes that could sparkle with humor and flash dangerously at the same time, her harsh and somehow soothing voice. The only thing missing was the familiar whiff of tobacco smoke that had normally surrounded her. That alone told Sayuri what she was looking at was not all of Genkai, but just her spirit. "You can't see them either then?" Turning slightly to the side of her cell she threw the little roll of gauze hard through the bars. The initial explosion set off a small chain reaction of mirrored detonations that left a thin sheen of smoke hanging in the air. "Getting out isn't the problem." She added quietly, breathing in the now common trace of the faint scent of the explosives she knew were floating all around the cell she'd been left in. After escaping the original holding rooms she'd been halted by another volley of Karasu's explosives and left here. Unable to see the bombs and with her energy still inexplicably beyond her reach she'd had no choice but to allow it. She didn't miss the split second that Genkai's eyes widened before narrowing again.

"It's worse than I thought." She whispered, moving through the cage to look at her, "You're still in one piece at least."

"I've become pretty fond of being that way." She answered softly, leaning back against the bars and crossing her arms over her bent knees. She watched Genkai stare at her for a long moment.

"Kazuki is planning on trying to rescue you." She said simply, and watched the girl stiffen and straighten, green eyes large and worried.

"No…" She shook her head slowly, "Don't let him…"

"Then get yourself out of here." Genkai snapped, turning away, "If you don't want that boy charging in here you better find a way to drag your ass out."

She vanished in an instant, and Sayuri stared at the space she'd been in. Did the woman think she was having fun here or something? She'd been looking for a way to get out since the moment she woke up here. It just wasn't that simple, but... If Kazuki was planning on coming in here somehow… she'd been thankful every day that she didn't see him across the arena or see him when they drug her past the demons in the holding area. He couldn't come here because of her. Sinking under the weight of her thoughts she stared at the pale thin scar fading on her right forearm…

XXXXXX

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" She blinked away from the gash on her arm and looked up into his glare. The glower only deepened as he crouched in front of her. It went against her instincts but she didn't fight as he caught her forearm in an almost surprisingly gentle grasp and pulled it toward him. "That jerk had a knife…"

"Really…? I hadn't noticed…" She murmured, smiling a little at him as he examined the still bleeding slice in her arm. It wasn't deep, just bloody and that made it look far worse than it really was. When he frowned at her the grin dropped in the face of the concern in his eyes, "It isn't serious I just got sloppy."

"Sloppy…" Kazuki pulled in a deep breath, "You were stupid. What kind of idiot runs into a fight when there are people waving knives around?" Again she only blinked at him and Kazuki sighed, stripped off his jacket and wadded it into a ball, pressing it hard against the cut. He pushed the limb back to her after a moment and dropped down to sit next to her, leaning against the brick wall she'd put at her back. Holding the cloth to stop the bleeding Sayuri heard him sigh and turned. "Where'd you learn to do that anyway?"He asked, looking at the two still unconscious people in the alley beyond the lot they were sitting in and the knife stabbed into the dusty dirt ground a few feet away. "I didn't figure you for the street fight type…"

"Oh…" She faltered for a second, "My family is pretty into self defense…" Talk about an understatement, but oh well.

"Self defense…" Kazuki chuckled softly before, "Is that what you call pounding some guy's face into the ground?"

"Well… yeah." She smiled watching him dissolve into laughter.

XXX

She'd jumped into that fight to stop the knife wielding one from stabbing him and ended up with a small scar to show for it. She hadn't planned to do it, had just seen the flash of metal and found herself blocking the strike that had been meant for his back with her forearm. Kazuki was planning to try rescuing her, and he was probably going to get himself killed in the process. Her arm and leg ached from the remembered injuries caused by the explosions she'd been subjected to. She couldn't let him do that. But how was she going to get out of here with the invisible devices surrounding her?

There had to be a way. She wasn't going to let him come running in here without thinking.

XXX

For weeks now he'd been avoiding this conversation, hoping that Sayuri would turn back up and it would be a moot point. Of course he wasn't that lucky. There was still no Sayuri, still not as much as a sighting or a word. He just couldn't figure it out on his own, just couldn't keep this to himself anymore.

Pacing up the walkway Kuwabara stopped and instead of turning around to retrace his steps started walking backward, arms crossed behind his head as he tried to rehearse the conversation he'd been dreading having.

"Kuwabara…?" The voice startled him to the point that he nearly fell over before righting his weight on his foot and spinning back. The weeks of worrying had started taking a toll on the redhead standing at the end of the path. Kuwabara was struck by it as he looked at him; there was just something off, something flat about Kurama, like he wasn't entirely there anymore. His green eyes were distant, dull and the dark circles under them pointed toward a lack of sleep. His hair fell limply into his face, "Is there something wrong?"

"No…" His first reaction was to try reassuring his friend, he would have done anything to keep from adding to his worry, but he'd already been putting this off long enough, something had to be done about it. "Well… maybe…" He murmured, frowning at his feet.

"Let's talk inside." Kurama led the way up the walkway and into the house.

Standing in the living room Kuwabara had meant to wait to be questioned but before the other had said a word he was ranting. "It's about the whole Sayuri thing. I've been thinking about it a lot and I wasn't gonna tell you because I well I was I made the whole thing up, but I couldn't have it was just… there was something off and I…"

"Kuwabara, slow down…" Kurama instructed softly, "Now what about Sayuri?"

He took a deep breath, looking at his friend directly now, "When I was telling you about seeing her in town and you asked if she was okay… you misunderstood me."

"What?" There was a sharp edge in his eyes for a moment.

"Not about Sayuri, she was alright, it's was about Urameshi. When I said I didn't think he was you thought I meant I didn't think he was okay, but I wasn't finished." He took a deep breath, held it for a second and released the air as a massive sigh before finishing…

"I don't think that was Yusuke." Kuwabara announced loudly.


	15. If You Could Play Forever

He was ready to run for the door, certain those suddenly hard eyes were about to flash gold and it would be over. Those training sessions before the dark tournament had just about given him nightmares and he wasn't overly anxious to experience the whole thing over with the powered up super fox version. If he'd just pushed Kurama to his breaking point Kuwabara liked to think he was smart enough to clear the blast radius. That his friend remained redheaded was a plus that was instantly eclipsed by the very tranquil way he crossed the room and seated himself at the couch. Kurama was deadliest when he was calm; Kuwabara wasn't the first one to notice that.

"You don't think it was Yusuke?" That vaguely interested look was a bit alarming for some reason but Kuwabara gathered the edges of his courage around himself and seated himself as well. "What gave you that impression?"

He was quiet for a minute. "I'm not… I was sure at first that it was him, from a distance it really could have been but…" He paused for a second to meet the other's gaze, "I was face to face with that kid Kurama, and that's all he was, I know demons age differently and all, but he looked a lot younger than I remembered." When Kurama only continued to silently observe him he continued, "And his energy was weird, I didn't really notice it at first cause of everything that was going on, but it was human. And then…" Here was the most condemning part, the part that had clenched it for him, "He didn't know who I was."

"What?" Kurama actually looked marginally surprised.

"Yeah, that was weird. We were eye to eye, I even told him who I was and there was just nothing… he had absolutely no clue. Urameshi can't pretend like that, why would he?" Kuwabara was up and moving again. He'd been agonizing over this for weeks now, and still he hadn't come up with a reason.

"What else?" Kurama's gentle prodding question received a surprised glance but he did not elaborate on the purpose behind the inquiry.

"Well, there was something different about his eyes… maybe… but I only noticed it for a second when we were up close." He knew from the look in Kurama's eyes that he was working something out, but as usual the demon wasn't sharing.

XXX

Damn it, why did all this training stuff have to be so… hard. Gasping for breath Kazuki collapsed against the rough rock wall of the cave and wondered, not for the first time, how she even got all this stuff out here. Damned resourceful old ghost hags… Use your energy to float over the spike Kazuki… where the hell did she get the freaking sparkling razor tipped spike anyway? He sincerely doubted that metal spikes just grew out of cave floors. And how exactly was he supposed to balance on one finger for forty-eight hours anyway? Sure he'd done it, but the old woman's demands were getting more outlandish all the time. Especially with how hot all those damned bon fires she'd made him build kept the place. Kazuki had never been as happy as he was when they'd gone out. Leaning his head back against the rock he decided that no matter what Hell's camp counselor threatened him with, he was not building the fires back up. He had just somehow managed to not only stay conscious and balance on one finger over a little orb of energy he'd been doing it for nearly fifty-three hours rather than her required forty-eight, so anymore smoke and heat therapy wasn't going to happen.

Reaching into his unzipped backpack he'd rescued from the hotel a few days earlier Kazuki gathered a torn piece of cloth into his hand. Absently running his thumb over the black and red border he stared at the blank yellow circle in the center of the patch. It was a little reassuring that it was yellow, according to what he remembered being told yellow meant only minor injuries. He'd wondered at first if Sayuri had known somehow that this sort of thing would happen, if maybe that was why she had left the patch attached to his t-shirt nearly two months earlier. Every time he realized just how long it had been it stunned him, because he couldn't quite figure out if it felt longer or shorter than that stretch of time.

His anxiety about the whole thing hadn't faded any over the time. Every day he considered just scrapping it and going, but if he'd put this much time and effort in it had to be doing some good, and, even though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, particularly a little old woman with a masochistic streak, he didn't want to go running in and do anything too stupid. Sayuri had a habit of trying to help and if he somehow managed to screw up and she jumped in he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something like what had to have happened in that bloody clearing happened to her again and it was his fault. What was the point of a rescue attempt if the person you were trying to save died in the process?

He tightened his grip on the patch in his hand and let his eyes flutter closed giving in to the delirious world spinning tiredness that had been blurring the edges of his vision. He just needed to rest for a little while and then he would get back to work. This was going to take forever.

XXX

If she unfocused her eyes and squinted she could just make out the faint glimmer of energy that had created the explosives, not their actual shapes of course, but the light provided her with a general location. Sayuri was slightly relieved to realize there weren't as many of the devices as she had suspected, they could just move quickly apparently, that was something else that was good to know considering what she was about to do.

Walking to the edge of the cell she stopped near the hinges to the door and braced herself. She was allowed to move within the bars, but should anything move outside it drew the explosives attention and was instantly vaporized by their attack. That was something she could use to her advantage.

Bracing herself Sayuri brought her hand up even with the upper set of hinges and waited for only a second before reaching through to close her hand around the little clump of metal. The reaction was instant. She barely saw the flicker of light in time to pull her hand back. Splinters of metal peeled outward, and she dropped down to grasp the other hinge, hoping to trigger the second explosion before anyone could have heard. The second piece of metal broke into pieces and Sayuri rose, doing her best to count the glowing spots of energy in the room beyond. The motion of the flickering orbs of light made it practically impossible and she didn't have time to stand around waiting.

Slamming her weight against the battered door she listened to the locked portion groan as it refused to give right away, the high pitched squeal of wrenching metal greeted her as she pushed again. The cell door wavered and tumbled forward, crashing into and cracking the tile floor. Ignoring the impulse to watch Sayuri pushed around it and crossed the room at top speed. Catching the door handle mid-step she rammed the door into the hall and threw herself out, slamming it behind her.

Turning sharply she ran, listening to the roar of flames and destruction behind her as the door collided with the tracing explosives and faced the consequences. Without a moment of hesitation she ran, streaking down the hall and toward the staircase. She was kept a floor beneath the stadium floor's entry tunnel, meaning she was a floor beneath ground level. Knowing which way to go to reach the arena she also knew that there would be an exit somewhere near there. The only problem now was getting that far without someone knowing. The door to the stairs was ripped apart behind her as she reached the next floor and threw herself into a hallway. She'd known that one door wouldn't have stopped all of the bombs. Taking a right instead of the left that would have taken her to the ring Sayuri continued on as yet another door was shattered. The lapse of seconds proved that the bombs were gaining ground on her. Already sprinting Sayuri pushed herself faster, hoping to clear the hall before being blown apart again.

Rounding the far corner she found herself in what had been a lobby. Overturned chairs littered the far corner of the room and several plastic plants had been ripped up across the dirt spattered floor. Somewhere to her left a staircase led to the upper floors, but what Sayuri was focused on was the large daylight filled opening across the open space. Ignoring the stab of pain in her side she rushed across the large room and toward the exit, gladly breathing in the gentle breeze of fresh air coming inside. She could smell trees and grass and sea salt so distinctly they were almost choking her.

The hand that shot out ahead of her brought Sayuri up short for only a fraction of a second before she whirled to the side away from the grasping fingers. In the middle of the turn she glanced over in search of a second reaching hand. Her entire body went cold as she met violet eyes. The shiver that rushed through her became a consistent tremble as long cold fingers closed around her neck, slamming her backward into the wall. She couldn't hold in the small whimper of alarm that escaped with the air knocked from her lungs.

Standing over her Karasu chuckled and loosened his hold but did not release her. It took an astonishing amount of willpower to keep from swallowing nervously under the pressure of his fingers. She prayed he couldn't feel her pulse rate and fought to keep it and her breathing under control. Another battle she was already losing ground in. Looking up Sayuri tried not to flinch back from the eyes boring into her own. She suddenly missed the oddly vacant look that had been on what she could see of his face the last few times.

"All that trembling hardly fits your fiery temperament…" The voice that whispered out of the silver mask covering the lower half of his face sent another warning shiver through her, "It's been a while since I came across something I liked quite so much, but you are rapidly becoming one of my favorites… I'm very tempted to just…" She didn't like the intent way his eyes swept over her, "Keep your memory for myself and spare you the ravages of this fragile existence of yours… I'll get my chance still… eventually you and I will come together. It's such a shame you won't be able to enjoy it…" The sound of running footsteps echoed into her ears and his eyes went suddenly empty again. Gasping a little Sayuri stared past the clearly insane demon and was almost relieved to see the others running toward them. For once she didn't fight as they pulled her away.

XXX

Standing in the doorway with his arms loosely crossed he stared into the empty bedroom. Not a single detail had changed in the room since he'd closed it off weeks ago, in an attempt to distance himself from the growing feeling of alarm that was building since his conversation with Kuwabara. He'd suspected at first as well, but Hiei had seemed so certain and he wasn't the type to make that sort of mistake. Kuwabara claimed it was only up close that the differences were truly notable, and Hiei had only been in contact with the person masquerading as Yusuke for a few seconds… still… there was a knot of concern in the pit of his stomach. It had been far too long without a single sighting, he'd sent word to everyone he knew to inform him if she was seen, but nothing. She had promised to come home as soon as she was able, to call, and if he were to say he wasn't worried Kurama knew he would have been lying to himself.

The murmur of voices in the living room on the lower floor drew his attention and he turned away from the room, closing the door with a soft click before going down to join them. He was noticed the second he entered the room by a beaming Botan waving around a red folder. "Kurama…" He met her gaze with his own questioning one and was answered with an enormous smile, "We found him!" She announced triumphantly.

"You found Urameshi?" Kuwabara was staring at the folder she was waving around as if he wanted to grab it out of her hands, but was too much of a gentleman to.

Hiei apparently didn't have that problem. As Botan opened her mouth to answer he snatched the packet from her hand and flipped it open. "Well yes and no…" Botan murmured, watching as Hiei stared wide eyed at whatever he'd pulled out of the folder. Frowning she caught the paper in his hands and tossed it onto the coffee table. Curious Kurama moved forward and looked with the others down at a picture.

"It's a photo of Yusuke."

"No, it isn't." Botan was smiling, in a very smug cat-like manner; she waited until they had all turned to look at her before she continued "He was born as Kazuki Yukimura, that's why no one caught it right away."

"Yukimura…?" The name sounded vaguely familiar, and from the frown of concentration on Hiei's face Kurama was confident in saying it must have been to him as well.

It was Kuwabara who broke the silence, in an oddly quiet way. "Keiko…" He murmured, picking up the picture to look at it closely, "That's what the difference was. He has Keiko's eyes…"

"What are you blabbering about?" Hiei snapped, grasping for the photo himself.

"He's Yusuke's son." Kurama offered, he'd never even suspected that might have been the case, but with the evidence under his nose it suddenly made a lot of sense.

"Bingo." Botan dropped the rest of her reclaimed folder onto the table. There wasn't much inside only a few mostly empty forms. "As far as we can tell Keiko must have been pregnant when she left." Her smile had faded into something more serious, "We had no idea so we weren't watching for it…"

"Kazuki Yukimura huh…?"

"No…" Botan looked up sheepishly, "His grandmother changed it to Kazuki Urameshi when he was five after…"

XXX

She struggled hopelessly against the thick straps securing her wrists to the table she'd been secured to, managing to rattle the structure. Desperate she pulled against the cuffs holding her, attempted to turn her head to look behind her but her head was held steady by the brace that had been secured around it. Lying on her stomach with her neck and back exposed and completely helpless Sayuri was trying to push panic down and failing miserably.

"If you don't stop squirming I can't guarantee a successful operation." The grating laugh sent tremors of worry all through her and Sayuri's struggles doubled. "Fighting it isn't going to make this go any easier my dear girl. The more you resist the more painful the process will be, but when it's over… You will be an excellent subject my dear… This is my best model yet and the longest lasting so try not to mess the whole thing up for me."

Trying to snap something, anything back Sayuri's words were all but silenced by the wad of cloth that had been shoved into her mouth and she was unable to say anything over his mutterings about good test subjects and the next stage of his experiment. Any questions she might have had went unanswered, but in the panic fogged state she was in no questions were actually occurring to her. All she seemed to be able to think of was trying to pull free of the restraints.

She stilled as something cool and slimy was pressed against the center of her back. Panic surged again as something spongy and slick slid across her skin. She twisted in an effort to shake it off or get away, another failed attempt.

The sudden surge of white hot agony skittered across her nerve endings. Arching impulsively against the pain a scream was torn from her that was in no way muffled by the gag in her mouth. Her entire body quaked with the force of the sickening wave of anguish that lasted for what had to be years before she sank into the blissful nothingness that had come to claim her. For the second she was capable of thought she'd been sure it would never end.

XXX

Something was terribly wrong. The certainty of it struck him suddenly, and somewhere deep inside he ached from it. Stopping in the light of a streetlight Kurama turned inexplicably in the opposite direction of where he'd been walking. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

XXX

He woke suddenly, his hand clenching around the little patch of fabric for a split second as he sat fully upright. Gasping for breath and wondering how he could be sweating and freezing at the same instant Kazuki looked down at the seal he'd fallen asleep holding. His eyes widened staring at the red center as his thumb played with the edge that had curled up and was peeling away from the white fabric beneath it.


	16. Game Over

"I'm not so sure about this Kurama…" Nervously the taller redhead glared at the two demons standing with him. "What if she comes back?"

"Then I'm certain she will be happy for any help trying to locate her grandson." Pushing open the apartment door Kurama walked calmly inside.

"We're breaking in…" Kuwabara hissed, following them into the apartment. "It's just… wrong." He muttered before joining the others staring around at the very familiar surroundings. "Wow… doesn't look like it's changed at all…"

The group as a whole was silent for a long moment, lost in their memories of all the times they had once spent gathered in this apartment. The walls and carpet were the same color, the furniture was a bit more battered but nothing appeared to have been replaced. Silently Kurama crossed the room to the metal framed dining table and stared through the window.

"Do you think Urameshi knew…?" He asked the question hesitantly. It required no further elaboration.

"It seems doubtful." Kurama turned back from the window, "Knowing what we do of Yusuke's feelings about his own father," Various comments about the 'deadbeat' had slipped out on occasion, "I doubt he would have simply let it go if he had." Besides Yusuke had always had something of a soft spot for children it wasn't likely he would have abandoned his own child considering those facts. Of course they were still having some trouble coming to grips with Yusuke having a child.

"How could Keiko have done that?" There was nothing damning in his tone, just pure confusion and curiosity. Kuwabara truly didn't understand. He'd wondered for a long time how Keiko could have just left, she and Yusuke had been in love, had been best friends all their lives. He'd seen how it had ripped Yusuke apart when she was gone. But if there was a baby, how could Keiko, who had known him so much better than anyone else, not have told the father?

Ignoring the conversation Hiei set about searching the room, but Kurama paused to look back, taking it upon himself to defend the absent woman, "The guidelines of your world change when you have a child Kuwabara. Their wellbeing becomes the most important thing. Around the time Keiko left Yusuke was in high demand… she likely thought it was going to stay that way and it would be best for their son if she left. That he would be safer that way…" Turning away he shrugged, "Regardless of her intentions now that we know we can't simply stand by waiting any longer. There is a great deal of difference between Yusuke running around for some unknown reason and two children missing." The idea of Yusuke being Sayuri's companion had been Kurama's last lifeline for several weeks, and it had been quickly and irrevocably snatched away from him. He was done standing idly by and waiting. Something was going to be done.

Leaving the conversation behind, he walked the familiar path down the hall into the bedroom that he still considered Yusuke's. Very little had changed since the last time he'd been in this room. There were more books in the bookshelf and the blanket across the bed was blue rather than Yusuke's favorite green or the plain white that had often resided there. Resting on the bedspread was a jumbled collection of items he found surprising, an overturned open metal briefcase that he recognized instantly, several battered white t-shirts and pairs of jeans, a single white tennis shoe that was still tied. And a torn bloodied strip of dark grey cloth he recognized in an instant.

It took only two steps to cross the room to collect the scrap of fabric that had been left dangling over the edge of the bed. He could smell Sayuri on the piece of her favorite sweatshirt, but hers was not the dominant scent. It was her sweatshirt, but not her blood on it. His relief was tinged with guilt as he realized it was probably Kazuki's. At least the stains were old and not that large, so the injury must not have been too severe.

Grimacing Kuwabara picked up a bloodstained blue uniform jacket and glanced around. "Guess Kazuki takes after his dad huh?" He remembered his room being covered with posters and filled with comic books, but there was nothing to show that kind of personal touch in this room. It was as bare as it had been when Yusuke had lived in it.

When neither of the other two answered him Kuwabara dropped the jacket and turned his attention to the bookcase instead. Reaching up to the top shelf he retrieved one of two thick brown binders that had been resting alone on the top shelf. Flipping the cover open he stared down at the plastic coated arrangement of pictures and stickers. Keiko and a little dark haired boy stared unblinking back up at him, smiling and even waving in some. People he guessed were her parents were present in some of the faded photos but the majority of the pictures in the next couple pages were of the little boy. Probably Kazuki when he was a kid, even at roughly five he looked a lot like his father. Kuwabara frowned when the pictures stopped suddenly after only three pages. Tipping the album up he reached for a corner to start flipping through the pages more quickly. Something slipped out of the back and flipped several times in the air as it fell toward the ground.

Putting the album back on the shelf Kuwabara bent down to retrieve it and came up holding the type of photo strip that was given out by automated picture booths. "Looks like they've known each other for a while…" He murmured, turning to show them.

Kurama stepped forward to take the slip of thick glossy paper and took a moment to examine the four black and white stills. Kazuki making silly faces while Sayuri tried not to laugh at his antics until the final picture where he'd draped his arm over her shoulders and they were both smiling at the camera. He almost laughed, "So… this is her new friend. I was starting to wonder if I would ever hear about him."

"You mean they've been palling around long enough to get pictures together and you didn't know anything about him? I thought Sayuri told you everything…"

"She's fourteen Kuwabara. She does her best not to tell me anything. What teenager wants their parent involved in their social life?" He turned to the door, "It doesn't look like there's anything that's going to tell us where they've gone." Kurama had barely finished when something clattered loudly in the living room. Exchanging a curious and almost worried look they rushed toward the source and frowned at the sparking pieces of machinery on the floor before looking up at Hiei, who smirked as he held out a video tape.

XXX

He'd overslept.

Cursing his own internal clock Kazuki ran as quickly as he could, dodging around trees as he tried to make it from the cave he'd been left in to the bluff in front of the hotel where he normally started his training just before the sun was rising, not as it was setting. The only other time he'd been slept late the woman had not made waking up a pleasant experience, now she'd let him waste an entire day.

"So you're finally up then." She didn't look at him as he stopped behind her on the cliff. Staring out at the ocean she was quiet for a long time, hands folded behind her back and the breeze doing nothing to ruffle her hair. She looked almost transparent in the orange light.

"Alright Genkai, let's just gloss over the damned lecture and get started. What's it going to be today? Swimming with the sharks or hanging upside down over cliffs or what? If you plan on making me get over that stupid spike again…" He crossed his arms to glare at the back of her head and narrowed his eyes marginally when she was silent for several more minutes. "Well, what's it gonna be?"

"Nothing..." Her voice was quiet, softer than he'd heard it in the weeks he'd spent with her ordering him around. He opened his mouth to respond but no words spilled out and she turned back, her usual scowl missing. "You've been asleep for three days now…"

"Three days? You let me sleep that long?!" There was no telling how far behind he was now. What was she going to make him do to get back on track? "I wasn't slacking off I swear…" She had threatened to leave if he did, but it wasn't like he had an alarm clock.

"I know Kazuki, you've done very well. There's nothing else I can teach you like this." He only blinked at her and Genkai sighed, "You're on your own from here. Whatever happens after this is up to you."

"Then… you mean…" He looked at her questioningly for a second as if waiting for the trap to close.

Genkai nodded once, "Just remember everything I told you, and you might survive." Kazuki turned without a word and took off at a run. She could have told him not to go, that he wouldn't like what he'd find, but Kazuki had been waiting for this. He was nearly out of sight when he glanced back without slowing and his voice floated her over the waves crashing against the rocks below.

"See you around Genkai! It's been fun…"

XXX…Three days earlier… again…XXX

"Are you certain it's the same one?" Kurama examined the cassette as he strolled down the front stairs of the apartment building.

"You saw the emblem didn't you?" Hiei demanded harshly.

"That's definitely it. That's the tape that led us to Yukina… I can't believe he still had that thing. I always thought it got left at my house or something…" Kuwabara stared at the battered video tape, "Do you think they were watching that?"

"VCRs aren't exactly commonplace any more, and it didn't appear to be a permanent addition to the living room just left in the floor like that…" The apartment had been a mess so the outdated electronic device had hardly been the only thing lying on the floor, but with the DVD player also plugged into the television he felt justified in his thought process.

"Why would they be watching it though? I mean that tape's pretty old…"

Kurama stopped, staring down at the tape and chuckled to himself. The open briefcase, the tape, Yusuke's old jacket… all things of Yusuke's scattered around a room that hadn't been his in nearly twenty years. "We may have been doing Kazuki a disservice… Since we had assumed he was Yusuke initially we've been acting as if he still is." Meeting their curious gazes he held up the tape for them to see, "He may take after his father, but we've forgotten his mother. There may be more Keiko in him than we have been giving him credit for. And what was Keiko always best at?"

There was a long second of quiet as they tried to think back that far to the young woman that had clung at the edge of their group. Keiko had always been with Yusuke, and indirectly their friend, but she had not been close to any of them, with the exception of Kuwabara none of them had really had so much as a direct conversation with her. And so it was Kuwabara who answered. "She always followed Urameshi into whatever trouble he was in…" They couldn't argue with it. Even if Keiko wasn't actively trying to track down Yusuke she had almost always been pulled in, even Hiei had kidnapped her to get the then spirit detective's attention. "You don't think they're trying to track Yusuke?"

"What could they be hoping to accomplish? That tape is older than they are."

Kurama half expected the walls between the worlds to shatter. For the first time in less than five minutes Hiei and Kuwabara had agreed on something. "Even if it's old, it's a starting point. We should look into it at least."

"We could have Botan fly up to the stronghold and see if she can tell if they've been there." Kuwabara suggested quietly, "It would be a lot faster than hiking all the way up the mountain ourselves."

XXX The next day XXX

"You're sure they were there Botan?" Kuwabara asked, looking tensely at the blue haired woman looking at them as she nodded again.

"Positive… look." She held out a blue jacket that they recognized instantly as the one Kazuki had been wearing in the pictures of him and Sayuri. "I found this on one of the chairs in the office where I found the helicopter papers, and the day you saw them in town we found records of a helicopter stopping for fuel at an airport on the edge of town. We don't really know where they went after that, but… I have a pretty good idea…" The hesitant way she said it made them all eye her nervously until she held out a single folded piece of paper.

Kuwabara took it impatiently and unfolded it, "It's a tournament block from… oh…" He swallowed, "Looks like you were right Kurama they are following our old cases. This is from the dark tournament." Looking at the other two he was surprised to find them staring down silently, Kurama seated on the couch and Hiei at his customary place by the window. "Are you guys listening?"

Kurama tipped his head down to hide the trace of a grin that had tipped the corners of his mouth upward, "She stole a helicopter…" He murmured over a barely suppressed chuckle, "I _should_ be surprised…"

At the window Hiei shook with silent laughter.

XXX later that day XXX

"Kurama you can't be serious…" He trailed after the demon by only a step, easily ignoring the silent Hiei that followed several steps behind him.

"We have to get there some way." Stopping for a second he turned back, "And I can't very well let my own daughter show me up can I?" Blinking innocently he turned back to continue walking.

"But stealing a ship…?"

"I fully intend to bring it back. Think of it as borrowing if that helps." At the top of the gangplank Kurama turned and went off in search wheelhouse.

XX (back to Kazuki at last…) X

His feet were hitting the ground nearly as quickly as his heart was beating in his throat. The pounding echoed into his ears drowning out all the sounds of the forest he was racing through. Finally; he'd been waiting a long time for this.

The trees became blurs of color passing him as he ran, letting his feet carry him wherever they thought he needed to go. Unable to sense Sayuri's energy anywhere, he hadn't for a long time now he just let whatever other instincts that were responsible for his direction sense lead him, a strange bubble of excitement and something he couldn't identify mixing in his stomach. Catching a slim tree trunk he used it to turn and leapt a raised root without slowing. His eyes widened, then narrowed slightly again as glimpses of some kind of dark grey wall appeared on the far side of the trees. Smiling a little to himself Kazuki raced toward the structure. "I'm almost there Sayuri, just hold on…" He whispered as dirt became concrete beneath his shoes. Turning sharply he followed the curving sidewalk along the side of the stadium until the dark opening of a tunnel appeared in the circular wall.

He was half way up the staircase when the first demon appeared running through the dark opening. A tall thin thing with green scaly skin and tufts of yellow hair poking up from his sharply shaped head. He didn't stop to punch the tailed demon, just lashed out while still in motion and sent the demon flying back into the wall as he continued past into the cool dusty interior. His footsteps echoed inside, ringing back off the darkened walls as he slowed, looking for the proper direction. Another demon rushed him, from the side this time and earned itself an elbow to the face before Kazuki started off down the hall again. Still not sure where he was going, just that he was going to find her.

The sudden glow of daylight was harsh enough to his shadow adjusted eyes that he couldn't see anything beyond it until he'd come skidding to a halt on the grassy ground outside the doorway. A relieved smile broke across his face as his vision adjusted and his gaze was drawn in an instant to a slim redheaded figure standing in the center of the arena floor. "Sayuri…" He started forward only to come to a halt as a body fell away from behind her, thick bands and drops of blood arcing through the air around her and dripping down onto the ground. He stared as she took a step forward, there was something wrong with the way she moved, the fluidity of her motion was gone, replaced by a dragging disjointed manner of moving like a marionette in the hands of a novice puppeteer. "Sayuri…" He repeated frowning openly at the loose strands of scarlet hair falling into her face. He took another step forward, wondering why she was only standing there until the wind whipped through, dragging the hair out of her face.

Kazuki froze, a gasp escaping him as he met her blood red eyes and a high pitched grating laugh echoed into his ears.


	17. Ambition Destroyed: A Trail by Light

The petals of the flower in her hand were practically disintegrated by the small explosion, leaving only a singed and smoking stem in her hand. The girl looked up; her eyes perfect circles and her body wracked by her heavy breathing. She jerked back from an approaching figure, "We don't want our newest test subject beyond repair…" There was something familiar about the voice, something he couldn't place, "Now hold still little girl this won't hurt a bit…" A syringe glinted in the low light before the tip stabbed into her arm. She struggled against two pairs of hands a few seconds longer, screaming something he wasn't able to hear.

The scene changed, blurring together until it became something else. She was running, something dangerous that he couldn't quite make out following only a step behind and he didn't know how but he could tell she was only a step from escaping, only inches from some freedom that she had been kept from. How he knew she'd been a captive he wasn't sure, it was just there, just a feeling. Then as a hand appeared from out of the murky edges of the image he knew that her hopes had been dashed, that she wouldn't be getting away.

The flow of fuzzy disjointed images began again. She was strapped down on a table this time, and he could almost feel the pain that was written across her face, and the screams escaping her covered mouth were deafening and horrifying and he was sure he'd never wanted anything more than he wanted to save her at that instant. Seemingly in response to his thoughts the scene blurred and came back into focus as if it had been shaken, as if _he_ had been shaken. The screaming had silenced though he could still see the girl writhing and for the first time a figure wearing a surgical mask appeared looming over her, and that strangely familiar voice was speaking again, burning into his figurative ears, "The original stages of my experiment were released prematurely, I know that now… but this… you will be my best model yet…" The voice was overlapped by the screams as the highlighted image of the surgeon blurred back into darkness and the edges of things began to distort. Then the girl collapsed and began to shrink and fade away. He wished for hands to reach out and bring her back even as he knew there was nothing left to grab for…

Kuwabara woke with a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a sob. Gasping for air and clenching his fists he looked around the small room and was surprised to find both Kurama and Hiei looking at him with surprised and even marginally worried expressions. Before they could ask he was on his feet and moving toward the window that revealed the deck and bow of the small cargo ship Kurama had "borrowed" from the docks. "Can this thing go any faster?" He demanded sharply, turning back to look at them, "We've got to get to that island… now!"

"Kuwabara what is it?"

"Just… get there as fast as you can okay?" He grumbled, his eyes on the open ocean ahead of them, "I've got a bad feeling something terrible is happening there." He was thankful no one questioned him any further, seeing that once had been bad enough he didn't want to have to tell them about it, he was already feeling sick to his stomach. "Man… we should have gotten a plane or something…"

XXX

"Hey Sayuri, long time no see." He murmured, watching the empty red eyes that had swung in his direction but didn't seem to focus on anything, "New look huh? Can't say I love the contacts…" There was no spark of recognition on her face, and even as he moved her eyes remained stagnant, dull and listless like they were taking in everything and somehow seeing nothing. He didn't like it. "Hello? Earth to Sayuri…"

"You're wasting your time boy." The voice drew his attention away and up to the stands he hadn't really realized were there previously. It took him a moment to isolate the shape positioned in the stands.

Looking over Sayuri's shoulder he glared at the grey and green… thing looking down at him. "What the hell are you supposed to be?"

For the first time the creature stopped laughing and looked at him through beady eyes. "In the march of progress I, Dr. Ichigaki, am the one leading the charge." He announced with an annoyingly dramatic flair that made Kazuki want to scoff in response and start tuning the demon out, "I can't help having the most interesting feeling of Déjà vu… it wasn't so long ago that I was explaining my genius work to another Urameshi… how time flies when you're working…"

"Working…?" He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Sayuri, "What do you mean by that?"

"Really boy, do you need me to spell it all out for you?" He was laughing again, "When you are face to face with my best guinea pig?"

"What?" He snarled, fists clenching at his side.

"A human specimen would have been preferable of course, but considering the circumstances I've been forced to perfect my technique on demons, they do tend to make sturdier test subjects in the long run." He was laughing again, "Now that I've created the ideal process it's time to move on… and you've delivered yourself right to me. I have to thank you for saving me the time and effort of tracking you down, not that it would have been hard with you trapped on the island."

"Sorry Doc, but I don't remember making an appointment…"

"Fool, why do you think we took her? I've had my eye on you since the day you arrived on this island, human subjects are so hard to find in these parts and my ideal candidate strolls right into my hands? Only an idiot would let that pass him by. Without the girl you have no means of escape." Ichigaki moved several steps, dropping down to the wall separating the seating from the arena floor. "I must admit at first I thought you were him… but then she called you by name and I knew. I may have missed my chance at Yusuke Urameshi, but now I have his son." He grinned at the look on the boy's face, "Then I was right."

"That's what this whole things about? If you've got some problem with Yusuke take it up with him but leave me and her out of it." He glanced at a very still Sayuri, "So whatever the hell you've done to her you undo it and I'll think about not ripping your face off and feeding it to you."

"Oh I have no interest in Yusuke anymore my boy. It was his remarkable biology that I found of interest, and he's passed that on to you. Why wait around for the old model when the new one is ready for the gathering? Once I have your body under my control…"

"If you think I'm just going to let you…"

"Not me, Kazuki." The laughter was quieter now, "Sayuri dear… bring me his body."

X

"Finally," The auburn haired woman hissed, leaning back with her arms crossed, "It's about time this got interesting…" She muttered one tall brownish colored ear tipping back into her hair.

"What do you mean interesting?" The brunette woman next to her turned, frowning, "That's your daughter…"

"I know… and she's about to beat your son to a pulp." She murmured, crossing her arms to look down at the pair standing where there had once been a ring. "Come on Sayuri, let's see some blood!"

"How can you say that?" Brown eyes flashing she glared at her companion, "He's here trying to help her. They're friends."

"I know that. I just hope he's smart enough to figure it out too…" Falling silent the two spirits stared down at their respective children, waiting.

X

She came at him hard, faster than he'd been expecting. Even with the unexpected speed that strange almost dragging quality remained in her movements. That was probably what allowed him to dodge her strike at the last second. He didn't realize just how close it was until he'd sprung to the side and felt a few drops of blood leak out of a scratch stinging on his cheek. She didn't give him even a second to be surprised. Jumping back to avoid a kick meant for his ankle he was startled by her speed again when she appeared in front of him, staring blankly even as she landed her first successful blow, a left fist to his stomach. He'd been right to think she could hit hard. Bouncing back yet again Kazuki narrowly avoided the following punch. Already she was moving toward him again. "Sayuri…! What the hell are you doing?"

"What she was told to do." It was the doctor who answered, his smug tone turning Kazuki's stomach a little.

Blocking another hit with his forearms Kazuki was denied the privilege of glaring at the troll in the stands over his head. "Damn it Sayuri, snap out of it already…" Backing away wasn't getting him anywhere. But there wasn't much else he could do. She rushed him again and he dodged to the side, flipping away quickly and spinning back to her.

"It really is a brilliant design. Reasoning with her, with who she used to be won't do you any good."He really hated that laughter. For the second he was allowed a thought other than dodge, Kazuki was sure no troll had any right to be that happy. He knocked one of her fists aside and stopped himself a second from habitually hitting her back. "You needn't worry about being too gentle with her my boy; even if you killed her it wouldn't do you any good. With my virucchi controlling every cell of her body even a fatal wound isn't be enough to stop her. Even if you did kill her the virucchi would just reanimate her body anyway." She whirled suddenly striking back at him with an elbow that Kazuki barely ducked. Coming back up he caught the arm coming toward him and for the first time noticed the many cuts it bore, the bruises around her neck and the blood matted into her hair and stained into her clothing.

"Shit… what the hell's he done to you?" Still there was no sign of recognition, no indication that she had heard or even seen him. Recognizing the kick that was coming he threw her away from him. She landed on one foot and was rushing forward again almost as soon as she'd landed. "Damn it…" What didn't she need any time to recover or decide what she was doing?

"You're wasting your time trying to talk to her. That body is nothing but a shell, functioning purely from muscle memory. There's nothing left of her."

The blow that came at him this time was slower than the last. Catching her wrist he stopped her hand's progress and then caught the other that came toward him, trapping both of her arms between them. She didn't respond to his grip for a second, her still dim eyes unfocused and unseeing. Even when she started to pull away from him it wasn't hard enough to break his hold. "He's wrong isn't he?" He breathed staring into her eyes, the red gaze unresponsive to him, "Come on Sayuri, I know you're in there…" The way her head snapped back as he shook her was worrying, particularly when her chin slammed forward into her chest. He stopped. There had to be a way to get through to her… Shoving her back he reached into his pocket, closing his hand around the rolled up patch he'd been carrying around. It was only half detached. He knew she wasn't gone.

X

"Kazuki what are you doing?" She hissed, her hands knotted tightly together as she watched the boy on the blood soaked ground below. Even though she couldn't feel that she was seated on the edge of the seat she knew that she was. Unable to tear her eyes away she watched him recoil from each blow the redheaded girl delivered but not strike back.

"He figured it out…" The woman beside her said quietly, green eyes squeezed closed, "Let me know when it's over…"

"I thought you liked this stuff…"

"There's a difference between a person and a persona you know…"

X

Damn she hit hard. It was hard to stay on his feet and keep from blocking the strikes that were coming at surprising speed. The blows rocked his entire body, but he suspected she could have hit a lot harder. If Sayuri had really wanted him dead he would have been already. If she didn't actually want to catch or hurt him that meant…

He slumped forward against her as the blows paused, holding himself up by catching her arms. "You're doing it again…" He murmured, close to her ear.

X

"You're doing it again…" The words echoed, but it couldn't have been the words they didn't make sense. It had to be the voice then, but why was the voice important? "Sleeping with your eyes open…" Brown eyes blinked out of the nothingness as the words echoed again, "I warned you about the zombie thing…"

Kazuki; the name rang with the voice, a face materializing around the eyes. It all came back so quickly it was almost painful, images rushing and creating at breathtaking speed. A castle, a long stone hallway and running footsteps, he was leading her by the hand. A sea of green became a blinding orange glow and a dark haired man was standing over her. Uncle, a female voice whispered and the red eyed man was replaced by a brown haired one and then one with a cone of red hair and a goofy grin. She was running again, all of their names returning with the faces. She passed a short pink haired woman, then another lightly wrinkled dark haired one who was smiling gently at her. "Sayuri…" A voice called from somewhere in the distance halting her motion in an instant. "Sayuri…" It repeated and she spun searching frantically in the suddenly dark surroundings as the other images vanished. Then there he was, a man with her hair and eyes standing in the distance. Then she was running again, holding tightly onto the hand closed around hers.

"…Got you…" the first voice whispered.

She blinked.

X

"Do you think it worked?"

"I don't think it's over just yet…"

X

The sound that escaped her was almost a whimper and brought Kazuki's head back up. Her eyes had squeezed tightly closed and her hands had curled into fists. "Sayuri… I've got you…" He breathed, tightening his grip on her arms. Nothing else in the world mattered in the moment that she opened her eyes and he met an almost panicked green gaze.

He released her and stepped back smiling, "Glad you're back." He murmured before she drove forward, and his ribs cracked in response to the blow. A grunt escaped her as he reflexively knocked her back, "What the hell?"

"Do you think that's all it is? I told you boy. You may have awakened her mind boy, but all it can do is watch. Her body is still mine."

He glared at Ichigaki again for a moment before releasing a chuckle. "The part about this whole thing that pisses me off the most…" Smiling now he turned back to Sayuri's oddly frightened gaze, "That old bat was right in the end. She must have known about this crap all along…"

It started as a grunt that became a word that wiped the smile from his face. "Run…" It looked like it almost pained her to manage to speak that much, "Run, run, run, run…" She whispered again and again. He jumped a little, his eyes wide as he watched two drops of thick red liquid leak out of her green eyes. "Run…" Her eyes pleaded with him, more blood tears dripping down her cheeks leaving crimson smudges and trails across her pale skin.

"No." He announced firmly, and more tears dripped out of her eyes and off of her chin. "All or nothing Sayuri... If you're in this so am I and there's no way in hell I'm leaving you here like this." She was struggling to speak again and he rushed ahead, "I'm gonna need your help for a minute Sayuri. Just stay as still as you can…" He took her eyes closing in concentration as a good sign and took a deep breath. "Let's just hope I can do this right…" Bringing his hands together he raised the middle and pointer finger of each hand, pressing the tips of his left fingers to the heel of his right hand he brought them both up to his face. "Meiin metsuju ressai Kohaku! Kyo chojin komei eikyaku." The whirlwind of energy that exploded out of his fingertips surprised him, but he forced himself to concentrate on the energy, on harnessing and controlling it. It could have been seconds or minutes before the loud groan drew his attention to Sayuri as she rushed toward him, she'd held out as long as she could he knew. "Ko!" Dropping to his knees he pulled his hands apart, dragging a thin line of energy in an arc over him in their wake, one to the front and one to the back. Sayuri was nearly to him when the energy expanded, the ribbon widening over him and then expanding outward in a circle. He wanted to release it as Sayuri was thrown back, pinned in the blue tinted dome that had formed over him. He wanted to stop, wanted to apologize and let her go, but he'd been warned. Genkai had told him what he had to do, if he didn't finish this he probably wouldn't be able to try again. "Jo…" He was in front of her before he could blink, his fingertips together still and headed toward her heart. He held her gaze as his fingers broke through the skin, trying not to be sickened by the warm wetness surrounding his hands, the smell of blood so strong it nearly made him dizzy. Pushing as far forward as he'd been told, until he was certain he'd done the motion properly he hesitated for a moment before pulling his hand back. "Sai…" He finished and jumped back from her.

For a moment Sayuri remained perfectly still, her lips twisting into the faintest trace of a smile. "Thank… you…" She breathed, a thin trail of blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth. Then her entire body convulsed and he stared in horror as she slumped forward, a spray of blood bursting out of her back. She barely bit down on a scream and then fell forward.

"What the hell…" He rushed toward her, "That wasn't supposed to happen…" The sudden burst of laughter drew his eyes away from her still form and up to Ichigaki again.

"Do you think I didn't learn the first time? After the fighter at the last tournament managed to blow my virucchi off their subjects I started placing the implants entirely inside their hosts." He was laughing harder, his molars flashing in the light, "Very good, you saved her from the virucchi and killed her in the process. Now there's nothing that can save her." He thundered before looking back down, "It doesn't matter anyway, I've finished with my demon tests. Now I'm prepared to begin the human trials… Karasu, collect our new volunteer."

Shaking Kazuki stared at the ground for along moment, watching a rivulet of blood trickling across the cracked sun baked earth. Glaring up at the doctor for a moment he ignored the person appearing across the opening from him and started running. "You son of a…" The sudden flicker of motion drew his attention and he skidded to a halt just before some strange little green ball exploded in front of him. "Fine, I'll kill you first…" He snarled, glaring at the dark haired demon that had come to stand between him and Ichigaki, "Then you're mine Ichigaki…"

"Karasu! Get the boy!"

He'd barely started to take a step when the shiver washed over him an instant before an eruption of power shook him so hard it nearly knocked him from his feet. Lightning strikes of energy so strong he could see it ricocheted around the stadium, cracking the walls and producing an almost shrieking sound.

"Do you really think he's the one you should be worried about right now?"

* * *

_Sorry about the delay in updating, my computer and I have been away from the internet for a few days._

_D-101, I'm sure you caught it, but after reading your last review I added in another line :)_


	18. Inheritance: The Beast Within

"What the…?" Kazuki froze, staring.

Cold golden eyes swept across him; softening for the instant they met his before sweeping back to the demon. If looks could kill Kazuki was certain the dark haired demon on the far side of the arena would have been a cinder. A tall snowy ear twitched back against glossy silver white hair that was ruffled by a gentle breeze he could barely feel. The fingers of a clawed hand twitched and rose to knock a lock of wayward hair back from a sharpened face set in a cruel mask. The hand came away and extended outward, a surge of light escaping the up facing palm and leaving it full of small green and purple leaves. They peeled away from the stack slowly, floating out and dancing on the almost still air as if they'd been caught in a tornado.

Kazuki watched them flutter away, and almost jumped as a series of explosions set the air moving again, the leaves twisting in the air and changing direction sharply almost as if they were triggering more. It took him a moment to see the light green orbs hanging in the air and another second to watch as the leaves attached to and triggered each one. The dark haired demon across from him issued a sound that was almost a chuckle and more little glowing balls appeared, soaring toward them quickly. Preparing himself to block or run Kazuki was frozen watching the leaves split and repair themselves, doubling their numbers before targeting the oncoming spheres. Another barrage of explosions rocked the air.

"Make all the bombs you like. I can see them now." The amber eyes flashed dangerously, "Even if I couldn't, each of the leaves is capable of sensing out the energy signature of the explosives. They can't get close to me." A cruel smirk twitched up the corners of a previously stern mouth, "I spent a lot of time surrounded by your bombs Karasu; you might call me an expert." The words were accompanied by oddly silent footfalls crossing the dusty ground.

"What are you supposed to be?" Kazuki demanded, looking at the silver haired demon standing next to him.

"Wouldn't you like to know…?"

XXX

"Well… this is a little… unexpected."

"But… how could she change like that?" The brunette asked quietly, her eyes on the silver haired girl standing next to her son.

"The move he did resets a person's spirit energy and uses their soul for power right?" If she remembered everything from the last time properly at least, holding up one finger she continued, "And Sayuri definitely takes after her father, her energy is pretty much identical to his, combine that with a strong survival instinct and her body automatically transformed. I don't know how long it's going to last, but its sure going to make things harder for Karasu…"

"That still doesn't make much sense…"

"What's there to make sense of? Her resemblance to her dad is coming through entirely. I think we all know what this means."

XXX

"Yeah damn it, I would like to know." He half growled at her.

"I guess Dad isn't the only one who can change forms... my uncle would be so proud…"She smiled softly. "He's stronger than you think Kazuki… we'll have to be careful."

"Sayuri…"Her features were a bit sharper now, her round eyes had thinned as well as changing color and her nose had adopted a bit more of a point, nothing drastic, but still noticeable. Even with the changes in her coloring he thought he should have recognized her instantly. "You sure you're up for this?" He asked softly, eyeing the blood still spattering her clothing, though she didn't seem to be bleeding any more.

"Positive." She moved forward passed him, her hands hanging down at her sides as the bombs continued to explode several feet from her as she advanced. "You've underestimated me Karasu, but I won't be guilty of the same fault. Don't expect me to make this easy for you."

"Why are you wasting your time talking to a shell? I reanimated this body years ago for use in my experiments. There is no Karasu, just a body taking orders."

"Wrong." She announced her eyes remaining on the taller demon even if she wasn't addressing him, "You may have revived him, but you've done a better job than you suspected. Karasu is in complete control of his body."

XXX

"What?"

"Now there's a revelation! I never would have suspected that with how Karasu was following the doctor's orders…"

XXX

"Your act is wearing a bit thin. You won't be leaving this arena so there's no reason to continue the charade."

There was a tense half second of silence before the masked demon… chuckled. "I did tell you this was going to happen. I'm glad you can be conscious for it."

"You won't be soon."

"This is _NOT_ possible!" The short demon screamed, balanced precariously on the edge of one of the benches. "There is absolutely no way…"

Kazuki's were the only eyes that went in that direction, "You know Doc you might want to think about a career change. This whole mad scientist thing really isn't going well for you."

Any snappy retort the doctor might have been about to issue was silenced by a particularly loud explosion. The shockwave startled him and Kazuki staggered half a step to the side before catching himself fully and looking forward in time to watch dust and bits of rock and dirt drop back to the ground. Neither demon seemed to have moved but the large crater that had appeared in the ground in front of them was a bit startling

"It seems we've come to a stalemate. What will you do now? You may be able to hold my bombs at bay for the time being, but how long can this transformation of yours last do you think? Not too much longer if I'm right…"

"You're right… fighting long distance neither of us has the advantage. And time is probably not on my side… I think that means I've wasted enough of it… don't you?" Feeling forgotten Kazuki stared as Sayuri turned into nothing but blur of silver racing across the circular opening. She jumped at the last second before the dirt beneath where her foot would have been was shaken loose and a metal clamp rose, snapping shut on air. Flipping in midair Sayuri came back down to land on one hand, the other catching one of the metallic arms. Using the momentum of her body flipping forward again she drug the trap and a strange purple sac attached to the bottom of it out of the dirt and hurled it at Karasu just as he threw what looked like a pack of three green pipe bombs at her.

The two devices collided in midair, resulting in an explosion that both knocked Ichigaki from his feet into the stands and sent Kazuki flying into the low wall surrounding the stadium floor. Held against the stone for a moment by the shockwave he lost track of Sayuri in the smoke and dust and sank coughing to the ground again once it had passed. Staring frantically into the billowing haze he searched for signs of movement. Slowly the dark vapor rose and swirled away, clearing unhurriedly through the open roof. Almost holding his breath Kazuki stared, waiting.

"Did you really think that would work a second time? You're going to have to be a little more creative than that…" Sayuri's shout was accompanied by another explosion, smaller this time, and that sent the smoke billowing up again and clearing far more quickly than it had previously. Turning toward the voice Kazuki watched a cloudy figure twist in midair and float back from another flash of light. Blinking he followed a small group of what looked like fat bats beating their way through the fog. The figure dodged them again, flipping off to the side as they detonated where she'd been only moments before. "We've gone through this already you know…"

"Are you really so impatient to die?" Something dark and solid was lobbed through the smoke.

Seeing it too late Sayuri twisted as she landed, bringing her left foot up she slipped her heel out of her loosely tied tennis shoe and sent it flying toward the grenade. The impact was enough to divert the explosive's course before it could detonate. She was nearly there now. With a burst of speed she raced straight for him, jumping to avoid the blast of energy he threw at her she landed only inches from him, already jabbing toward his face with her left fist. He pulled back avoiding the punch and reached toward her. Knocking his hand aside Sayuri used the temporary opening to direct an uppercut to his jaw, again she was evaded. Sensing the counterattack that was coming she ducked to avoid his strike and pivoted, spinning around and driving her elbow into the unsuspecting demon's midsection. Taking advantage of the split second of surprise Sayuri rose again, preparing another blow. Centimeters from connecting she sensed it, the flicker of energy behind her and was forced to abandon the attack in favor of diving to the side and away from the explosion. Catching herself on her hand again she smirked as her fingers dug into the firm earth beneath her and pushed herself into the air.

He watched the rock leave her hand and collide with the center of the demon's chest and frowned. What did she think throwing a stone at the guy was going to accomplish anyway? Half tempted to run in and help her he was halted by a small almost imperceptible shake of Sayuri's head as she landed across from him.

"You really are just like him… aren't you?" The voice halted them both and brought Sayuri's still golden eyes away from his to the demon between them. She was silent for long enough that Karasu continued unquestioned. "It took me some time to place you, but the resemblance is remarkable. I knew there was a reason I was so fond of you." Chuckling softly the demon reached up, digging his fingertip into a red mark left by the stone. A thin trickle of blood slid past his fingers before he withdrew them, revealing something small in the palm of his hand. "I suppose I should thank you. If you hadn't looked so much like the man who killed me I might not have come back to myself in time to enjoy this."

"What?" Her voice was a hiss of sound, her cold eyes suddenly calculating and her body stiff.

"I was so disappointed at first, when he didn't die with me. The joy of taking him from this world was stolen from me at the end, but now… I have you Sayuri, and I will just have to take consolation from your beloved memory. Before we finish this though, tell me, who was Kurama to you?"

Her eyes widened, the look in them a whisper from murderous.

"Then you did know him; a parent perhaps…? You are young enough." He rolled the seed between two fingers, "And with all the same… weaknesses he had…"

"Don't you _**dare**_," She almost vanished as she moved, appeared in front of him to knock his hand aside, deft fingers dropping to the side with blinding speed to catch the falling seed even as she attacked with the other, "talk about him!" There was a crunch of bone as Karasu was thrown back from her several feet head first. Closing her fingers around the seed she'd caught Sayuri watched the shattered mask fall to the ground at her feet. She kicked it aside and stepped forward.

The laughter startled her into stillness for a moment as Karasu found his footing and looked directly at her. "I'm sorry, but is that supposed to frighten me?" He watched her, his hands tucked into his pockets as he laughed again, "Really Sayuri, I was hoping for so much more, but in truth you're just a little girl playing with her father's leftovers aren't you?" He sighed at her, "It hardly matters, I'll take you from your misery soon enough…"

Her eyes widened as he sucked in a deep breath and little sparks of green energy skittered across him, forming a glowing aura around his body. Stepping back with one foot Sayuri braced herself to either dodge or block an attack, staring as strips of blond hair fell across the demon's face. There was no way this was a good sign. She watched the demon's hands come up, little strands of green arcing between his palms before it began to gather into an enormous orb between his hands. Expecting the ball to be hurled at her Sayuri stiffened; preparing to jump out of the way and nearly did when the demon threw himself upward instead. Unblinking she watched him hanging over her, the odd green light he had surrounded himself with casting an eerie glow over the arena that was too powerful to be canceled out by the sun. Her already wide eyes rounded into nearly perfect circles as she recognized the energy aura created by his bombs and realized that somehow Karasu had turned himself into one. She backed away another step, knowing it would be useless but unable to halt herself as he dove.

She felt the shiver of familiar energy as her eyes met those of the demon descending toward her and was unable to stop a smile. "You really should learn to watch behind you Karasu…" She called over the rushing air as he neared, "Otherwise…" Raising her extended thumb and pointer finger to her head she pressed her index finger's tip to her temple, "Bang." As she pulled back her hand and tipped her head a little her hair was whipped around her face by a ball of brilliant blue white energy that collided with the green aura surrounding Karasu and sent him flying to the far side of the stadium away from her. The force of his impact with the wall sent out a shockwave that had her skidding across the ground sideways until an arm caught her around the shoulders, halting her progress. Even as close as he was she couldn't actually see Kazuki through the thick banks of smoke that had surrounded them. "Thanks…" She whispered against the ringing silence.

"Hey, I had to get a hit in too didn't I?" He answered, holding her a second longer to be sure she was stable before releasing her and turning back to the seating. "You're errand boy's finished doc…" He was silenced as Sayuri gasped and turned into the smoke. "What is it?" he asked turning to follow her gaze as the cloudy wall began to disperse again.

"Did you really think that was the last you'd see of me?" The voice was accompanied by a light laugh as the dark shape stepped away from the rubble that was all that remained of the far wall and seating area. Instantly Kazuki began harnessing energy for another blast, but Sayuri knocked his hand away and moved forward a few steps.

Uncurling her fingers she extended her arm, holding out the seed that flashed in her hand, her energy coating and changing it instinctively. "I've had enough of you Karasu…" The sprout of red grew so quickly it was almost impossible to make out its definitive shape. She felt the plant circle her arm, but sensing no danger to herself from it didn't fight its hold. The thick branch extended quickly from her toward the demon who had stopped several feet away, and as she watched the drips of liquid falling from it to smolder into the dirt she finally realized what she had instinctively created from the seed. "My father always told me you can't plan too far in advance… it's nice to know he followed his own advice…" She watched the limb with its gnashing teeth crawl forward, dribbles of acidic saliva burrowing into the dirt.

Laughing again Karasu held out his arms, the first sparks of energy flashed for only a second before dying away to nothing. Confused he looked at his fingers, tried to shake his arms.

"By the way… there were two seeds." Sayuri added softly. With a sudden cry Karasu crumpled, long green tubers exploding out of his skin and covering him with vibrant multicolored blossoms. The red plant around her arm retracted as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her with a seed resting harmlessly in her palm.

"Okay Ichigaki. Now that that's taken of, it's your turn." Kazuki announced turning away from the shrub to look at the suddenly much paler demon standing over him. "Forgive me if I make this quick…"He scowled as Ichigaki laughed that horrendous cackle again."What is it with this guy? No one who looks like that should be this happy all the time…"

"Don't be sure it's over that quickly. I've worked with more than body manipulation during my time on this island. Controlling an existing body is all well and good, but I have more tricks up my sleeves children… creating a copy to control is an excellent way of procuring subjects when you have a limited supply after all… and my copies are very effective…"

The whole arena trembled around them. Once and then again, the ground shaking enough to make Kazuki tip a little before regaining his balance. "Now what…?" He hissed. Beside him Sayuri flashed him a concerned look and shook her head.

"I don't know…"

* * *

_To all of you hoping for it to be Yusuke... sorry _


	19. Out with a Bang

The ground rumbled at a steady beat and he tore his eyes away from Sayuri to fix his attention on one of the two openings leading into the arena. "Please don't be a giant monster. Please don't be a giant monster." He muttered under his breath.

"Somehow I don't think we're going to be that lucky." Sayuri whispered back, turning to face the opening he'd put his back to.

"Well aren't you just a freaking ray of sunshine…"

"I'm practical." She rebutted. The vibrations were stronger now, their source clearing coming closer. She waited, nearly holding her breath and listening to the steady beat of the impacts that made the ground quake harder each time. Something in the shadows ahead of her shifted, a shape coming toward the edge that she couldn't quite distinguish the entire outline of. Her breath left trembling nearly as badly as the hand that reached back behind her to tap hesitantly at his bandage wrapped wrist. "K… Kazuki…"

"What?" He didn't turn to look at her, too busy monitoring the access point for whatever might have been coming.

Her fingers closed around his arm, pulling until he'd turned to look the same way she was. "What is that?" She asked, tipping her head forward to direct his attention to the shape moving in the darkness of the tunnel ahead of them.

"How the hell should I know?" He demanded, wanting to glare at her and unable to look away from the thing, "You're the demon expert!" The first ray of light fell across it, cement grey and enormous. Odd ripples of flesh rose into the light, casting little bands of shadow down the slice of bulging body that was revealed.

"I've never seen anything like it…" She whispered barely containing the urge to retreat several steps as the enormous form came forward another, revealing three almost pointed caps of a shoulder that extended several inches beyond the bulging bicep attached to it, a horn of skin and bone extended up from what might have been a collar bone toward a head that was still encased in darkness.

"And you think I have?"

X

"No… this isn't happening… tell me this isn't happening…" Turning she caught the hands of the spirit next to her, rising to her feet and dragging the other woman with her.

"What are you blind? Of course it's happening!" Ripping herself away she started down the stands, "I can't believe it. This is a rematch people would have given their lives to see. What I wouldn't give for a microphone..."

"But… he's dead. I know he is… Yusuke... Yusuke beat him…"

X

With his usual laugh of smug self satisfaction he stared down at their stunned faces. "There was barely enough time but I found a usable sample. It was worth the danger. Clones make the perfect tools! By controlling their development you can make a slave that won't question you, won't fight against your control. But it takes such skill and luck they aren't very practical… and to make them compliant you have to be very precise with their brain's development… or you end up with nothing but a mindless killing machine; perfect as a last resort, but basically useless for day to day business... I learned that with my first attempt, having no other samples from that particular source I was unable to try again. And he's such a lovely specimen that I knew he would come in useful someday…"

"A clone… A clone of what…?" Sayuri hissed as the thing finally came into view.

"Does that really matter right now?" Kazuki snapped, casting a sidelong glance at her. He watched her closely for a second before her narrowed eyes snapped fully open and the earth's quaking stopped. Turning back he wasn't prepared for the hand that shoved him to the side.

He heard the impact, the smack of a fist hitting flesh only somehow louder than any he'd ever heard before. Catching himself Kazuki spun back, his wide eyes fixed on the empty space where Sayuri had been seconds previously before another crash of an impact drew his attention to the wall behind him. He jumped forward a step as the silver haired figure crashed into the wall, the stone cracking around and falling with her, leaving an enormous crater where she'd hit that was quickly filled with a pile of rubble. "Sayuri…!" He yelled, moving another step toward where she'd disappeared. For the first time his eyes went to the enormous grey monster standing over her. It was worse than he'd thought.

The thing was enormous, all veins pushed against grey skin by bulging muscle, he could have sworn even the bone had been forced out in some places. The shoulder spikes that he'd thought raised toward the head actually shielded the sides of it, vanishing into a neck so thick he couldn't tell if it was actually part of the horns or a separate entity. Lines of muscle filed down from small eyes that were nearly swallowed into the face. It was larger than he'd originally thought, easily several times wider than he was and standing at full height he would only reach the demon's waist.

The shifting of rock didn't just draw his attention. As a chunk of wall fell away and Sayuri was revealed the creature swung back toward her. Panting lightly for air Sayuri jumped aside just as an enormous foot crashed into and shattered the piece of stone she'd been sitting on. Running forward Kazuki stopped next to her, watching the thing turning toward them.

"Run."

Her voice startled him, and he glanced at her as she pulled in another gasp of air, not bothering to wipe away the blood leaking from the corners of her mouth, a weak cough that escaped her sending a small spray of the red liquid into the air. "Like hell…"

"Damn it Kazuki! Listen to me for once!" He actually flinched a little in response to her voice and the desperation in her eyes that met his for a second, "We can't stop that thing. This transformation isn't going to last much longer, I can already feel it fading. When I change back… it's over. I won't be able to help, so you have to go now. I can hold him off for a few minutes, long enough to let you get away…"

"Sayuri…"

"I'm dead anyway. This is just… borrowed time so don't argue. Just go."

"Damn it Sayuri, don't make me hit you." He snapped, glaring at her, "You say one more thing like that and I'll knock you out myself, we clear?"

The creature was running for them again, so quickly it became little more than a blur. Sayuri twisted again to knock him aside from the coming strike, but instead was shoved off of her own feet and sent flying to the side. Digging her feet in to keep from falling and slow her progress she turned back with wide eyes, almost terrified of what she'd see. Instead of the broken flying body she was dreading and expecting to see she found herself staring at a fully upright Kazuki, using both hands to block the one that had been trying to crush him. Sparks of energy flew from the three hands. Running forward she found the forgotten seed in her hand, changed once again into a rose that quickly lengthened into a whip. She flicked it outward, looping the thorny green whip around the enormous grey muscled arm and pulled sharply, intending to sever the limb. Her eyes widened as the muscle bent but the skin refused to give. The arm flexed and her whip was shredded. The other arm appeared out of nowhere; rushing at her so quickly Sayuri missed any chance she might have had to dodge it. The impact lifted her from her feet; she heard and felt the pop of breaking bones as her rips took the brunt of the blow that sent her flying backward. She couldn't suppress a cry of pain as she collided with the wall shoulder fist and the stone wasn't the only thing to shatter.

"Sayuri…!" He stared, watching as she dropped limply to the ground, bits of stone falling down on her. "Damn it…" He hissed when she didn't move. Turning he watched the smirking demon pull his fist back and moved with a smirk of his own. Pressing the heels of his hands together he peeled his palms and fingers apart, extending them away from each other. "Bet you weren't expecting this… Spirit Reflection Blast!"

X

"Wow talk about an unexpected maneuver. That's impressive…"

"But… how did he learn to do that? I thought…"

Standing above the other spirits and doing her best to avoid being noticed Genkai smirked to herself. Kazuki may have been like his father in many ways, but his strength, unlike Yusuke, was not the sheer power he was able to pull up, that had been an obstacle for the boy; Kazuki's strength was his energy's ability to adapt and his own ability to understand and manipulate it. It had required a slightly different approach…

X

The blast of absorbed energy sent the giant demon flying back from him and in an instant Kazuki was running to clear the fallen chunks of wall off of the girl trapped beneath it. "Sayuri…" He breathed, shoving a particularly large slab to the side.

"I… tried to warn you…" She whimpered weakly, green eyes barely held open in her bloodstained face, "Sorry…" She collapsed back the few inches she'd managed to lift herself, red hair splaying out across the dirt around her.

"Sayuri…" Reaching to grab her he stopped in face of her injuries, not wanting to make anything worse. "You better not die on me." Turning back into the stadium he pushed himself slowly to his feet, his eyes down and to the side where she was still lying motionless, "I'm getting us out of here." He promised quietly, dragging his eyes back up to the again charging demon clone. "Guess I don't have time to play around with you anymore. So let's just forget all the damn games and get this over with…" Quickly he tucked his finger under one of the wraps on his wrist, he'd gotten so used to them that in the seconds it fell away the exposed skin felt strange, the sudden glint of golden light that they had been hiding distracted him from the sensation as he repeated the motion.

X

Of course that didn't mean she'd given up on powering the kid up. Being able to use his energy well was a good thing, but he needed energy to use. Two months of training hard enough to kill him while wearing spirit cuffs… even Genkai was a little curious to see how far the boy had come. She watched him raise his hands in an unneeded and dramatic display, which reminded her horribly of his show-off father, and waited for the code word.

X

"_Avitus…_!" The word penetrated the hazy world of soft shadows and dull throbbing pain that she had been floating in, dragging her closer to the edge of reality. A gust of air carrying a whisper of energy washed over her and Sayuri struggled to lift her eyelids and then her head, all she managed to do was turn it slightly. Through her blurred vision the last thing Sayuri saw was a glowing blue bird swooping over her before unconsciousness dragged her away from the scene again.

With a final glance at the girl resting on the dirt beside him Kazuki ran forward. He'd forgotten how much easier moving was without those things. He barely felt himself touching the ground as he skated across it, the world a blur with the exception of the looming thing he was running toward. There was no way he should be able to win this, but he didn't have a choice. If going through that demon was the only way off this island, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

XXX

"It's about time…" Kuwabara grumbled stepping off of the dingy and onto the dock ahead of the others. "I can't believe that took so long…" He grumbled and started away toward the shore. Half way there he froze in the middle of a step, nearly thrown forward onto him face by the sudden motion. "Guys…" There was no response to his questioning tone, but he became aware of the other two nearing where he stood a moment later, "Am I the only one who feels that?"

XXX

Why did this feel like it had been going on forever and going in circles?

His fists were leaving dents in the muscle, and the creature it belonged to seemed stunned by the repeated impacts, but he knew, even if he didn't want to admit it, that his barrage of punches wasn't doing any actual damage. With his own probably fractured left arm he was sure he was the one who looked like he was losing. Good thing appearances were deceiving. The thought struck him suddenly and left him with a small smile.

The brief contact wasn't enough to let him gather the energy required for another reflection blast; not that that attack had done much against the monster in the first place. Sure it was enough to knock him back, but inflicting any real damage? Not unless he had more time to gather enough of the energy, but after the first hit the doctor's clone had been limiting the duration of any physical contact. The one time he'd attempted to latch on in an effort to gather up the energy he'd been rewarded with at least two fractured ribs and a crippled arm, along with more bleeding scrapes and bruises than he cared or had bothered to count. It hurt, more than he probably would have admitted to anyone. If it weren't for the thing's insistent focus on Sayuri, who it seemed to return to no matter what he might have done to it he probably would have been dropped by the pain moving caused already. But as it was he didn't really have a choice. Focusing as hard as he was able he renewed his attempts at breaking bones and ignoring his own being broken.

X

"Not again… please not again…" She sobbed into her hands, "He shouldn't be here, not like this… he's just a boy…"

"What's that got to do with anything? His dad was just a boy when he beat the real Toguro. The kid might just be able to clinch an upset… you know what they say, like father like son… or daughter in mine's case…" She added with a disapproving frown at the girl lying in a puddle of her own blood on the far side of the arena. "You know, I'm all for blood, but I just wish it could be someone else's."

X

The elbow that crashed into his face was sudden and surprising. Thrown back by the impact Kazuki skidded to a halt after only a few inches and not for the first time thanked his hard head for being able to withstand a blow that should have knocked him out. Looking up he found the demon had once again turned its attention inexplicably to the unconscious redhead resting along the far wall. "Talk about a one track mind…" He growled to himself, running to get between them for what had to be at least the seventh time. "I don't think so pal, you've got to get through me first…" He barely felt the energy gathering in his fingertip; it was so instinctive fueled purely by the beginning hints of desperation that had mingled into his resolve that he didn't realize what he was doing until the glow was almost blinding to his own eyes. Bracing himself he stared past the brilliant blue light to the still advancing demon.

On some level he was surprised by how the world fell away, by how it suddenly didn't matter anymore. It didn't matter that he was tired, or that he had broken bones that ached, it didn't matter that the thing was at least three times his size and barreling toward him like a train. It didn't matter what might happen to him when that thing reached him, or if this blast failed, all that mattered was the ball of energy that was building up in his fingertip.

All the exhaustion floated back to him as it left him, larger than he'd thought it would be. Watching the orb soar away from him he felt his injured leg shake and give way beneath his weight. He didn't fight it as he sank to his knees, hoping that the shot had been enough…

X

The brat was winning. Once the initial shock had worn off Ichigaki knew that he had no choice but to turn and run while he had the chance. If his clone wasn't working what chance did he have? Retreat was a far better option.

XXX

"We need to hurry…" He knew that energy, and it meant trouble, nothing but trouble and death and destruction. But how could it exist any longer? How was this even possible? It was oddly surreal running through these trees again, toward that power level, that admittedly seemed smaller than it had then, but was still worrisome knowing that it might not have been all there was, and that Sayuri and Yusuke's son were on the island… and that other energy seemed a lot like Yusuke's now that he was paying attention… Glancing around to tell them he was surprised to find only one of the demon pair with him. "Hey, where'd Kurama go?"

"You're just noticing now?" How Hiei could see where he was going and give him that 'you idiot' look of his at the same time without tripping over a tree root was something he almost found worth asking about.

XXX

Pushing himself up Kazuki stared at the shattered flaking body for a long second before turning back to the girl behind him. He stumbled a bit over his own feet as he approached her and dropped down next to her, "Sayuri…" She didn't move in respond to his voice and he frowned, reaching to touch her shoulder, shaking her gingerly, "Come on Sayuri, wake up…" At least she was breathing. He chose to take that as a positive sign. "We can go home now if you'll just…" He felt it then, the sensation of another power signature, multiple ones, though he hadn't quite learned to differentiate between more than one at this point. Pushing himself back to his feet he wavered for a moment before reaching down to gather her up against his shoulder. In their current shape neither of them would be able to deal with any more monsters. Besides that, he needed to find a way to get Sayuri off of the island and find her some help before it was too late. His eyes lingered on the blood pool she'd left for a second; it didn't look like he'd have much time.

XXX

Running at full speed Ichigaki panted for breath, grasping at the stabbing pain in his side. Those kids had to have come here some way, and however they had he could find his own way off of the island and just leave them here to rot.

The bands tightening around his arms and legs startled him enough that he screamed as he was yanked off of his feet and slammed into a tree trunk. Gasping for air still he struggled against the ropes, and frowned as the slick vines he found there instead tightened in response.

"Hello Doctor…"

"You…!" He hissed, glaring at the redheaded man that appeared across from him, leaning casually against a tree, his arms and ankles crossed. "What are you doing here?"

"I admit I was surprised to find you here as well. I trust I'm right in assuming you were behind all that's transpired here?" He pushed away from the tree and advanced on the demon, not needing the answer. A vine slithered across the grey skinned demon's throat, tightening to silence his ramblings, "I'm not here for your excuses and explanations. The only thing you going to tell me is where my daughter is, and exactly what you've done to her."

"And then you'll let me go?" There was a hint of desperate hope in the beady eyes that Kurama found he had nothing but contempt for.

"Who said anything about letting you go? You're going to die on this island Doctor, the only thing that's left to decide is how long I'm going to make you beg before I let you…"

XXX

"Genkai…!" He stomped into the cave adjusting his grip on the unconscious girl, "Come on you old bat, I could use some help right now!" His voice echoed back to him and he stared down at the limp body in his arms, "Damn it…" Bandages, bandages would be useful right now. Even if Genkai wasn't here, he could do some basic helping…

Her shortening breath startled him and his brown eyes widened, "Come on Sayuri, stay with me here…" Casting a look around in search of anything useful his eyes fell on the backpack he'd left there when he'd left earlier that afternoon. He'd gathered what he could from abandoned first aid kits in the hotel quite some time ago, the tools would only allow for basic first aid, but it would be better than nothing. Swinging the backpack onto his shoulder he adjusted his grip on the girl and turned to leave the cave. He had to get her out of here.

Starting down the rocky walkway toward the water he froze half way. He couldn't use the helicopter, so how the hell was he going to do that?

XXX

"They must still be here somewhere." Kurama murmured, holding out the orange jacket he'd found pinned under a fallen chair in one of the hotel's rooms.

"Umm… guys…"

"With all the blood they can't have gone far…" Hiei answered looking at the building looming up over them.

"Guys…"

"The doctor says Sayuri was in critical condition, if Kazuki is trying to find a way to help her, which seems likely…"

"Guys…!" Kuwabara cut across more seriously, turning back to shout at them until he got their attention, "Do either of you want to tell me why our boat is sailing away?!"

Two pairs of confused eyes followed his fingers and widened watching the tiny spec of a ship disappear into the distance. "This… is not good…" Kurama murmured.

"Nah, its fine, look." Pointing down the cliff Kuwabara smiled as he looked back at them, "See the helicopter is still here. We can just take it back. We'll probably even beat them there…"

"There's one problem with that Kuwabara." When he received a confused look Kurama continued, "Unless you've been secretly taking lessons, none of us know how to fly…"

* * *

So, I'm not entirely certain I like this chapter, so any opinions about likes and dislikes would be really helpful...


	20. Return to living world

The scrape of bristles on wood hung in the air with the contented chirps of the birds perched on the railing. Smiling a bit to herself she worked the little pile of dust and the few fallen leaves toward the edge of the platform, planning to sweep the mess off of the walkway and onto the ground.

The steady rhythm of sweeping paused and her large deep red eyes lifted from the porch's surface toward one of the many paths leading away from the compound into the trees that surrounded it. Blinking, she turned to follow her eyes, reflexively tightening her grip on the broom in her hands. Something in the shadows was moving besides the branches. While unannounced visitors weren't unheard of at the compound, they weren't very common, and they almost never came up the path that led from the beach.

The broom handle slipped from between her fingers to clatter against the porch. She watched him emerge from the trees slowly, black hair falling into his downcast brown eyes. Even from that distance she could see the bruises and scrapes standing out against his tanned skin, the battered condition of his clothing. As if sensing her gaze the boy looked up at her and paused for a second before limping forward again. She stared for a moment at the dismal expression on his face before following his gaze to the lifeless redheaded body dangling from his arms. Ignoring the fallen broom and with a whisper of a gasp she moved toward the staircase he was reaching the bottom of.

"You're Yukina right?" He only looked at her for a second before turning back to the girl he was carrying.

"I am…" She answered softly, coming down the stairs to look at him and then down at Sayuri. She instantly regretted it. All she could make out beyond the girl's red hair were smears of blood and bits of bandages. Tears instantly welled in her eyes. "Oh…"

"You shouldn't do that…" He said quietly and she sniffed looking at him questioningly, "She doesn't like people crying…" For the first time Yukina noticed the red rims around his eyes and watched Sayuri shift in his arms before she released a whimper.

"What happened to you two?"

"It's kind of a long story…" He murmured, then looked up to pleadingly meet her eyes, "She woke up for a few minutes yesterday and told me to bring her here… can you help her?"

She nodded once, examining the welling tears he was fighting back as well. "Bring her inside… I'll do everything I can." Kazuki only nodded and followed her up the stairs and across the porch.

XXX

If he'd been prone to violent outbursts he might have already struck the control panel… or simply taken the time to heave the entire contraption off of the cliff. It would have been very satisfying to watch it shatter on the ground below.

Leaning back in the pilot's seat he crossed his arms and glared at the bank of buttons, knobs and levers that were not only _not_ properly labeled, but also bore names that seemed to have _nothing_ to do with their actual functions. He felt old suddenly as he silently cursed the nonsensical technology. Was an ignition that took a key and a steering wheel really so much to ask for? Who needed fifty switches and three hundred buttons anyway?

"You really are pathetic…"

The raspy voice startled him and Kurama had turned toward the copilot's seat without fully realizing until he found himself face to face with the old woman seated there. "Master Genkai…?"

"A fourteen year old can run this thing and you numbskulls can't even get it started after three days." She shook her head, "What a bunch of morons…"

It was meant as a stab at his pride, and he pretended it didn't work. "It's nice to see you as well. I'd thought you would have moved on quite a while ago."

"I planned to... but you idiots can't get by without me so I'm still stuck cleaning up your damned messes."

"I'm terribly sorry to be such a burden." He offered her a smile. "Is there anything in particular you wanted to discuss?"

"Don't play stupid. Do you know anyone else who can get you out of here in this thing?" She crossed her arms to glare back.

"We were going to figure out a way to call for a ride…"

"Just go get the other dimwits… and you better be good at following directions. If this thing goes down you three are the only ones dying…"

XXX

"Yukina…!" Dropping off of the oar she hit the ground still moving forward, rushing toward the front stairs, "Oh… where are you?" She demanded spinning around a few times trying to figure out which room she should be headed for.

"Botan…?" The voice was softer, surprised and drew her attention back to a now open door where Yukina's turquoise head had appeared.

"Is it true? Did you find them? Are they here?" She asked running up the steps to catch the other woman's arms.

"I didn't exactly find them… they came to me." She glanced around quickly, "Where is everyone else? Weren't you bringing them with you?"

"Oh… well I went to the island to try to find them, but they'd already gone. I have no idea where…" She trailed off, looking up for a second, "Do you hear something?"

The steady fast paced chop started quietly, but grew louder quickly, spinning in place again Botan searched for the source of the noise, no doubt an ambitious woodpecker, at least she thought so much until the noise was trying to make her eardrums bleed. Turning she stared up at the dark spec coming closer to where they stood.

"Yukina… am I the only one who sees that?" Botan murmured large pink eyes fixed on the sky.

"No…" She answered quietly, looking up quickly.

X

CLANG

"I said the left one!"

"There are twenty different controls that could be classified as on the left!"

_**CLANG**_

"Just do what she says Kurama!"

"I am trying Kuwabara; you are welcome to attempt it yourself…"

_**CLANG**_

"Hiei's trying to cut open the door again…"

_**CLANG**_

X

The landing could hardly be called a soft one. Standing on the porch Botan started back down the stairs toward the helicopter as it collided with the dirt, sending up little tufts of grass, the breeze buffeting her and Yukina.

The blades hadn't even stopped spinning when the door crashed open and Hiei practically fell out of it before staggering away to lean against a tree. Kuwabara followed him, landing flat on his face on the grass as the rotor finally stilled.

Yukina and Botan exchanged an almost worried look.

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see dirt…" He mumbled into the ground, curling his fingers into the grass.

Kurama dropped lightly to the ground beside him, hands stuffed into the pockets of the orange jacket he was wearing, "It wasn't that bad. Considering it was only my first flight I think I did very well."

* * *

I realize it's a short chapter, but I thought it might be time to lighten the mood a little...


	21. The Beginning of the End

"Are they going to be alright?" He followed her slowly down the hallway, trying not to stare too anxiously at the door he knew they were headed toward. Years earlier, when Sayuri had been small and prior to Genkai's death the woman had given the child her own room at the compound. He knew that was where Yukina would have placed her when she'd appeared at the doorstep.

"I healed them the best I could." She answered, pushing the door slowly open and stepping back to let him enter the bedroom, "Sayuri's injuries are mostly gone, but she lost a lot of blood… it may take her a while to recover." She answered haltingly.

Kurama only nodded and slipped into the room. He knew Yukina was trying, in her own way, to brace and encourage him. He'd known even before asking the severity of their wounds… Sayuri's in particular. Though after seeing Toguro's body he was concerned for Kazuki as well; Yusuke had barely walked away from that fight, he found it… mind boggling, even with Genkai's insistence that that was the case, that Kazuki could have been responsible for the monster's defeat, after such a short period of time. But then Yusuke had always somehow managed to pull out some fantastically lucky shot or power right at the end to make it out of whatever tight spot he was in. He was almost glad to see that his son had inherited that miraculous talent.

Apparently it wasn't the only trait he'd inherited though. Coming through the door Kurama was startled to find himself face to face with the doppelganger. The picture had warned but certainly not prepared him for the sameness of them. The face that turned to him as he entered the room might have been Yusuke following the dark tournament. The lingering sense of déjà vu that he'd had since leaving Hanging Neck Island surged, striking him so suddenly it nearly took his breath away. Marginally confused brown eyes blinked at him for a second before he turned away, though Kurama knew he was still being watched from the corner of the boy's eye. "Hey Sayuri, I didn't know you had an older brother…"

"I don't…" He turned to watch the girl rearranging some playing cards in her hand.

"Sure you do. He's standing in the doorway…"

Green eyes flashed to him and widened impossibly. "Dad…!" She hit him so hard it nearly knocked the air out of his lungs. Unprepared for the sudden impact Kurama was thrown back a step before stabilizing himself and the girl with her arms latched around him. With a sense of relief and overall wellbeing washing over him he smiled and lowered his face into her hair, hugging her tightly and momentarily unable to speak.

"Dad…?" Kazuki stared at the pair, "What was he ten when you were born?"

"He's older than he looks." it was Yukina who answered, sinking to sit on the edge of the bed next to him, "Trust me." She added with a small smile.

XXX

It looked like no one had been in the room in a very long time. Dust swirled in the yellow light of an old bulb hanging overhead; lacking the magic sparkle that sunlight provided it. The door squeaked as he closed it and turned into the room with his arms crossed.

He wasn't really sure why he'd chosen to come into the room. They'd given him another to sleep in, but this door had been on his mind all night. Somehow he'd known the moment he entered it that it had been _his_. He didn't have to look at the clothes hanging in the closet to the left, some of which he was wearing now thanks to Yukina, and all of which would fit him a little too perfectly. He didn't need anyone to tell him. It was a feeling, something that was just there and that he didn't question. _This_ had been Yusuke's room, his home in a way the bedroom at the apartment Kazuki now lived in had never been. There was an almost welcoming feeling to it.

Walking slowly he crossed the room, pausing as a floorboard creaked beneath his foot, pushing against it he smiled as it dipped only to bounce back up against his foot. Dropping to one knee Kazuki caught the floorboard and carefully pried it up. Looking down into the dark space beneath it he hesitated for only a second before reaching in and after a moment of fumbling started pulling items out. Two tickets for a fight at the Tokyo dome, a book of matches, a little slip of red paper, a necklace made of thick wooden beads that was wrapped around a lump of black cloth, and finally at the very back of the cubby hole a picture. Pulling it out into the light that seemed dimmer than it was Kazuki was torn between a smile and frown.

He recognized his mother instantly, even if she was younger in the picture than he remembered her. Her hair was shorter than she'd always worn it too, but her smile hadn't changed. Not one of those polite little smiles, or the kind of faked grin people forced for pictures, but the all too real one she had worn when she was really, really happy. He would never forget that smile, or the way it made her glow even through an old photo.

A ghost of a grin played across his lips as he let his eyes wander away from her to the person with his arm around her shoulders. This was the first picture he'd seen of his father smiling, even if it was only a little one. His eyes weren't fixed on the photographer, whoever it might have been, but instead on the girl holding his arm around her.

"They loved each other very much."

He jumped a little in response to the voice and nearly dropped the photo as he turned. The room had been empty when he'd entered and he hadn't heard the door open or close, but when he stood and looked back Yukina was seated on the bed. "How long have you been here?" It didn't come out as harshly as he'd meant for it to.

"I didn't want to bother you while you were thinking." She said quietly, looking at the picture he was still holding. "I have a few others of everyone together if you'd like to see them."

"Nah… no thanks..." He tucked the picture into his pocket, hoping that she didn't notice.

She did, but let it pass without mention. "She would have been proud of you." She whispered finally, looking up from the items he'd piled on the floor, "For bringing Sayuri back. They both would have."

That froze him for a second. She not he, _she_ would have been proud. Kazuki looked at her, confused. "What do you…?"

"Keiko would have been very proud of you for saving your friend, and Yusuke would be too." She stood and started toward the door, but paused short of it, "You shouldn't be ashamed of looking like him you know. Your parents were both some of the best people I've ever met."

He met her eyes for a second before looking down, "I'm not ashamed… I'm just tired of hearing about it."

"I guess it would get old pretty quickly. I'm sure they just say it so much because they miss him so much and once they get to know you they'll be able to tell the difference." Tipping her head to the side she considered him closely for a long moment, "When I look at you closely… to me you look a little like Keiko… just a little though, around the eyes."

"So… am I not supposed to be in here or something?" He asked, shying away from her continued scrutiny.

"You can go wherever you like Kazuki."

He nodded and turned back into the room, his eyes sweeping curiously around at the various objects in it. Out of the entire group of people he'd met today, Kazuki quickly decided, Yukina was his favorite.

XXX

Sitting straight up in her bed Sayuri searched almost anxiously for what had woken her. The crack of something heavy and solid hitting wood brought her head to the window in time to see a rock pinging off of the frame and onto the floor where it joined three others. Frowning, but a bit curious she stood and crossed the room to the small opening. Poking her head out of the second story window she looked down to the porch a floor below her.

It was later than she'd thought it was. In the shadows of the trees even the moonlight seemed muted and it took her second to make out a shape standing in the edge of the clearing, tossing a small rock into the air and catching it.

"It's about time; I've been throwing these things up there for like five minutes."

"Kazuki…?" She blinked a few times, willing her eyes to adjust and bring him into focus, "What are you doing out there? I thought you went to bed hours ago?" Stifling a yawn she glared at the various rocks she could now see lying on the porch below.

"I found my dad's old room." She watched him silently, knowing that he didn't need encouragement to continue, "I found something else while I was looking around." This time she was curious and he held up a square of something white she couldn't make out the details of over the distance.

"What…?"

"It's a map, to some place in Mushiyori City…" He informed her in a whisper just loud enough to reach her.

"Mushiyori… that isn't far from here is it?" She leaned forward onto the window frame on her elbows, wanting to see the map, but he tucked it back into his pocket.

"Not really. I'm going to go check it out… I just didn't want to take off without saying goodbye…"

For a heartbeat she was unable to feel she couldn't breathe, a pang she wished she was able to ignore going through her. He was going without her? "Just…" Gathering her marginally shaken composure she straightened a bit, "Give me a minute I'll meet you out front."

"Sayuri…" She was turning away from the window when his voice stopped her and she turned back, prepared to argue with him, to demand that she was going along when her eyes landed on that smile, that big oddly heartwarming smile that nearly stopped her heart as well as her voice, "I was hoping you'd say that."

"I'll be right down." She turned away again once he'd nodded and hurried to slip into the jeans and t-shirt someone had brought for her from town, slipping her feet into a pair of shoes and pulling on her father's orange jacket that he'd brought back for her she started toward the door.

Stepping into the hall she closed the door almost soundlessly and was started toward the staircase when a hand landed on her shoulder, stopping her in place.

"And just where do you think you're you headed?"

Internally she groaned and turned back to face green eyes nearly identical to her own, "Just for a walk. I wanted to get some fresh air…"

"Oh…? And would this walk happen to take you to Mushiyori City?" Then he'd been listening, she should have known better than to think he wasn't.

"No… technically the train would." Lying to him wouldn't do her any good, he had far too easy of a time seeing through her. And if she was already busted she might as well go for broke.

"Considering what happened to you the last time do you really think running off alone in the middle of the night is the best of ideas?"

"I'm not some little kid anymore you know. I can take care of myself."

"Sayuri…" He began and stopped reaching out to bring her close, "I know that." She stiffened a little and paused for a second before almost grudgingly hugging him back, but didn't say anything. "And I know you want to help your friend, but…" The sharp prick of something against the side of his neck silenced him, and with his eyes becoming circles he released Sayuri and stepped back, his hand coming up to the side of his neck where he found two large thorns imbedded in his skin. Pulling them free he looked at the girl standing across from him, "…what have you…?"

"I'm sorry." She said hurriedly, "I really am, but when we started this Kazuki and I agreed that we were going to follow it to the end. We aren't done yet, and I can't let him go alone. I hope you aren't too mad at me…"

"What did you…?" She jumped forward to catch him as his knees went weak and guided him back against the wall and toward the floor as he started to lose feeling in his legs.

"It's an extract that causes temporary paralysis. I figured it out last summer when I went along on border patrol with Uncle Hiei. It took a while to perfect. I'm really sorry Dad, I have to go…"

Sinking along the wall Kurama watched her spin as she stood, her red hair a halo around her head above him as she started off at a run. "Sayuri…" He called as the numbness rose along his body.

She didn't look back; she would have just turned back if she did and given up. Her father had that effect on her; acting against his wishes was practically impossible for her most of the time, and this was the first time she had seriously rebelled against him. At least the effects didn't cause any permanent damage, it wasn't like she'd crippled him, just slowed him down some and bought some time. She was nearly to the end of the hall when running footsteps on the stairs echoed up to her and a tall copper haired figure appeared running up the stairs and effectively cutting off her escape route as he rounded the corner into the hallway she was going down, a shorter turquoise haired one only a step behind.

"Sayuri…! Goodness what's going on here?" Botan demanded as she stepped out of the room at the end of the hall to look at her, and past her Sayuri's eyes landed on another open window.

Twisting she reached out, shoving some leaves into Kuwabara's hands and brushed past Botan into the bedroom, "Get those to Dad, they'll make it wear off faster…" She ordered, racing across the room toward the window even as another dark shape appeared in it. Hopping into the window she turned sideways, meeting annoyed red eyes for a second as he continued inward and she soared outward into the open air.

Floating down her hair swept across her face for a second and she shook it back in time to watch two concerned female faces appeared in the window she'd gone out of.

"Got you…" He announced, catching her easily with both arms before she could hit the porch.

"Thanks." Dropping to her feet Sayuri glanced up and waved briefly to Yukina and Botan before turning to him, "We better hurry."

"Got it, let's go." Catching her hand he turned and ran for the trees.

"The roads the other way…" She told him, not slowing as she followed him into the shadows, leaping a tree root and dodging with him around a sapling's trunk and some undergrowth.

"I know. I just have a feeling we should go this way." He smiled over at her, tightening his grip on her hand, "it's not too late to go back if you've changed your mind."

"I just drugged my dad; I think that means it is." She told him chuckling about it a little now that it had been done. "This probably isn't the best idea you know…"

"Why not…?" Before she could answer something rushed toward them and sensing it they jumped apart. Directly in front of them a dark haired red eyed demon glared.

"My Uncle practically lives out here…" Sayuri answered as a whisper, looking at him where he'd stopped a few steps in front of them.

"And where exactly are you going?"

"Sorry short stuff, no time to talk." Catching her hand again Kazuki lunged to the side, skating around a tree and started off at full speed. Glancing up Sayuri watched the dark blur jump along the branches and waited until he was nearly in front of them. Smirking a little she watched the branch bend and shrink, giving away under his foot and sending him tumbling face first into the dirt. She'd already gone this far, turning back wasn't an option anymore; it hadn't been since the start. She'd known from the beginning that she'd go to remarkable lengths to help him. Maybe this had been inevitable. And it wasn't like anything she'd done would cause anyone any serious harm.

Listening for the pounding of steps behind them she was startled when Kazuki stumbled and pitched forward, dragging her forward a little with him. Pulling back she kept him from hitting the ground and looked down, stepping quickly to the side to avoid the vine trying to close around her ankle at the same time Kazuki ripped free.

"Looks like Dad's out…" She whispered.

"He's doing that?"

"He doesn't exactly like being caught off guard… and I'm sort of grounded." She smiled as they stared moving again, "All those times I told you I was on lockdown… I meant it."

"Damn, it's a wonder you ever get out of the house." Kazuki answered, dodging a limb that swung down at him by ducking and pulling her through.

"You're telling me." She muttered, using her own control of the neighboring plants to tangle some underbrush around the tree branches swinging down at them.

Still running they hit the next tree line and breathed a collective sigh of relief as the forest was left behind. Turning back in the direction they were headed Sayuri skidded to a halt just before rushing off the edge of the cliff, staring down at the water crashing against the rocks beneath. Panting she turned to Kazuki.

"Alright you two, that's enough, let's get back to the house…" Marching through the trees with a glowing yellow blade of energy in his hand Kuwabara used the other to knock bits of leaves and vines off of his shoulders.

"Sorry pal, but that's not happening." Turning to the cliff and the water beneath Kazuki reached over, interlocking his fingers with Sayuri's as he caught her hand, "You ready for this?"

"Cliff diving is your plan?" She whispered.

"We'll be fine." He saw the question coming before she'd started to ask it and added, "I've got a feeling…" with a shrug.

Sayuri shook her head, biting down a laugh and glanced over her shoulder as the others appeared through the tree line. "Alright, let's go…"

There was a general outcry of alarm from the group behind them as the two leapt over the edge and tumbled toward the waves below.

The high pitched screech echoed off of the rocks and trees, reverberating back from every possible angle and ringing off over the water accompanied by the ruffle of feathers and the beat of powerful wings that buffeted them more than the wind they were falling through. With a soft grunt of surprise Kazuki landed on something soft a fraction of a second before Sayuri followed him. They exchanged a confused glance before looking down at the bed of feathers they were resting on as they soared upward, the bird crying out again.

X

"Was that…?" Kuwabara stared at the dark smudge vanishing against the moon with the others, his wide eyed surprise mirrored on each of the faces around him.

"Have you ever seen any other giant blue birds?" Hiei demanded shortly, rolling his eyes before he looked back at the animal and his two riders than had nearly disappeared from view in a matter of seconds.


	22. The Tunnel

It was quiet. A heavy silence marred only by the occasional ruffling of feathers and the steady soft hum of rushing air that settled comfortably over him as something warm and soft settled against his back. Glancing back he watched Sayuri hide her face against his shoulder. "You okay?"

"It's just… very high." She murmured then glared when he laughed.

"Come on, its _way_ better than the helicopter." The arm that had been settling around him twisted and Kazuki grunted as she prodded him hard in the stomach with her thumb. It died to another laugh as he turned forward again, letting the cool air sweep his hair back from his forehead and hold it there. "It is. At least the bird knows what he's doing."

"How do you know it's a he?"

He just did. Just like he knew they didn't need to be wary of the animal, monumental considering how his last encounter with a giant bird had gone. "Isn't it obvious," He muttered, gripping the feathers he'd been holding onto a little tighter, "He's blue."

Rolling her eyes Sayuri settled against him, probably gripping him a little tighter than was absolutely necessary. Kazuki didn't seem to mind, or if he did he didn't say anything. Her eyelids drifted closed as she rested against him, breathing in his familiar scent and drifted off into contented half formed daydreams.

The crinkle of paper disturbed her an indeterminable time later and lifting her head she looked over his shoulder at the map he was unfolding. "That look like it lines up to you?" His voice drifted back to her carried by the rush of air.

"Turn it to the left." Sayuri instructed, resting her chin on his shoulder to look at the black and white rendering.

Obeying the order he twisted the page and looked down at the glittering lights that seemed to be sprawling out miles beneath them. "Yeah… okay, that kinda looks right…" Glancing between the page in his hand and the ground below him for a second Kazuki tried to pinpoint where exactly the bold red X drawn over the smaller lines was located. Deciding on the general direction he glanced down at the bird they were resting on. "Okay… how do you steer this thing?"

He'd barely asked the question when the bird banked to the side and dove down sharply, throwing them both back a little with the motion. High above the earth it had been a lot harder to tell just how fast the bird was than it was watching the ground soar up to meet them. Seconds before impact the enormous wings shot out, beating hard against the air to slow them before massive feat slammed into the ground, throwing up a small dusting of dirt. Turning sideways Kazuki slid off the side first and caught Sayuri as she joined him, helping her easily to the ground before looking around. "So… think this is the place?" He asked softly.

The sudden gust of wind buffeted them both and sent a spray of dirt particles and gravel into the air. Spinning back to pair stared at the blue shape disappearing into the sky.

"I hope so." Sayuri murmured, turning back to him with a small smile, "Because it looks like we just lost our ride."

"Well that's going to make getting home fun." He muttered starting toward the shell of what he could only assume had been a truck. It creaked when he touched it and sank hard against the rock it rested on, shedding flakes of rust and trembling dangerously.

"Do you see that?" Her voice echoed a little and Kazuki knew even before he turned in search of her exactly where Sayuri would be.

He sighed before turning to join her. "The cave…? Yeah I noticed."

"No… in the cave..." Dodging through a broken part of the low weather beaten wooden fence Sayuri started into the darkened interior, her eyes glued to something in the distance.

"You ever hear what curiosity does for cats?" He asked, following her despite the question.

"I'm not a cat." She responded, pointing further into the shadows, "Do you see it now?"

It took him a second to find the little yellow spot she was pointing at. "Yeah, actually…" He blinked several times at the steady spec of lightness in the velvety shadows of the cave, "What the hell is that?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out." Sayuri's voice and footsteps reverberated off of the rock walls and floor as she continued forward. Falling silent he walked behind her, watching the spot become a ball and then a soft glow glistening off of moist stone from somewhere beyond where the tunnel curved. Exchanging a glance they rounded the corner and stopped.

"Whoa…" He breathed, looking at the sea of glowing yellow orbs stretching down the branch of the cave that they had turned to follow. "Those are those… what did you call it?"

"Lamp weeds..." Moving forward into the seemingly endless expanse of organic lanterns Sayuri chose her steps carefully, sliding her feet between the stems to avoid trampling them until she found a clear spot and stooped down to brush her fingertip against one dangling bloom. "They're pretty in the dark aren't they?" She asked after a long second of silence, turning back to look at him.

The glow turned her skin the same pale gold they were and glinted in her eyes, turned her impossibly red hair a million shades to vibrant and inconstant to name. "Yeah…" He breathed, ripping his gaze away from her before he could stare too long.

Rising slowly she turned back, watching the yellow light that seemed stable everywhere else shimmer and shift in his averted eyes for a moment longer than she should have before making herself turn back to the weed choked tunnel. "So… are we going back or do you want to see where these go?"

"Go?" He glanced passed her into the tunnel again, seeing for the first time where the cave split again, the weeds continuing down one fork and darkness filling the second. "Maybe they just grew that way…"

"They would have spread all the way down both sides if someone didn't plant them here." Sayuri shrugged, "Besides, we didn't bring flashlights. It'll be easier to see if we go down the lighted path anyway."

He glanced past her, "Right… the easy way it is then."

XXX

"Let's go." It was said the second flapping wings could no longer be heard and the shrinking shape had finally disappeared entirely from view.

Exactly who had said the words was still a mystery to everyone in the group. But the break in the stillness had been enough to send the five people standing on the cliff scurrying back into the trees and racing toward the road at full speed.

"Does anyone have any idea when the next train comes through?"

"Does it matter?"

Heaving himself over the edge of the cliff the dark haired young man frowned after the fading footsteps and voices. "Well so much for the big homecoming…" Shaking his head he stuffed one hand into his coat pocket, flung a battered bag over his opposite shoulder and started walking after them. Glancing back over his shoulder he glared at the spot where Puu had dropped him and taken off. If Botan was running around with curlers in her hair and his spirit beast was taking off on his own something had to be going on.

XXX

"Okay, am I hallucinating or is that a Nintendo?"

"What are you…?" She stopped as he caught her shoulders, turning her ahead of him and pointing over her shoulder at the faded grey box lying across the widened tunnel space they had been walking through. "Oh…"

"So it's not just me right? That's weird isn't it?" He stepped back as Sayuri shrugged and looked around, giving up on the conversation. "We've been down here for hours… and it looks like we've run out of lights, feel like turning back?" When ringing silence answered him Kazuki turned in time to watch her disappear into the deepening shadows. "Damn it Sayuri…" He hissed and breaking into a run chased after her listening to the constant echo of his own running feet. Silence lingered ahead of him and in the darkness he couldn't see anything ahead of him. "Sayuri…!" She didn't answer and he groaned before breaking into a sprint, "Come on, I don't want to spend the rest of my teen years running around a freaking cave, can't we just get…" A lightening of the shadows ahead of him slowed him marginally and Kazuki was walking by the time he came around the corner into the oddly illuminated room carved out of the stone. "Damn it… where did you go?" His voice echoed back to him, muffled over the distance. If he'd passed her in the shadows why wouldn't she have said something and stopped him?

Scowling Kazuki took a few steps forward only to stop again. In the strangely orange light echoing off the walls broken glass glinted along the ground, leading his eyes across the ground to a grey square perched near the edge of a still pool of water that dominated the room. "A T.V, this keeps getting weirder…" He muttered, staring at the cracked scene and plastic casing, somewhere to the side of it a frame and some bits of stuffing were all that remained of what might have been a couch at one point, scraps of faded dark fabric with chewed edges laid in shreds across the ground every direction he looked, but that wasn't what caught his attention. "And now it just got creepy…"

XXX

"You're sure this is where they were going?" Botan looked hesitantly at the cave, her unease obvious and in some ways echoed on the faces of the others.

"Kazuki found a map, he said to somewhere in Mushiyori City. I assume it was the same one that led us here. Though I don't know why Yusuke would have kept it."

"Do you really think they would have gone in there?" Kuwabara was eyeing the opening with obvious distrust, as if it might come to life and attempt to swallow him up.

"But what could they have been hoping to find here?" Stepping forward the blue haired woman paused short of actually entering the cavern, "And how do we even know Puu brought them here? Maybe he took them to Yusuke somewhere else…"

"Botan…" He gave her a second to respond that she didn't take before continuing, "All Puu's presence proves is that Yusuke is alive somewhere. Just because his spirit beast is here doesn't necessarily mean that he is as well, or that he actually knows anything about any of what has been going on. Puu often acted of his own will; he's a representation of Yusuke's inner self, and far more attuned to his instincts and subconscious… He may have just been reacting to a trace of homesickness when he returned to the compound and instinctively recognized Kazuki as someone he should protect…" Pausing Kurama took in their crestfallen faces, "I am only saying that we should keep our expectations low. Knowing that Yusuke is alive may have to be enough for now. It's already more than we've known for a very long time."

"I know that…" She glared half heartedly at him, "But we can still hope can't we?"

"They're here alright. If I concentrate I can feel them in there…" Kuwabara looked around quickly seeing if his effort at changing the subject had worked, "I don't see what they think they're doing. They must know that they aren't going to find Urameshi in some cave somewhere."

"I don't think actually finding Yusuke has ever really been the point." Kurama sighed, moving toward the opening, "I think he was just learning about him..."

"Then why did Sayuri go?"

"Why did we always follow Yusuke when he was doing something stupid or dangerous, even if it wasn't a case?" He glanced back at them, letting each draw their own conclusion because he knew they had each had their own reasons, at least at first, but it boiled down to the same basic principal.

"When did Sayuri become a team player?" Hiei half sneered. He had a point; she'd always been something of a loner when it came to anyone outside of their little group, kept her distance from the humans around her. Kurama knew that was partly his fault, being a demon and living as a human was not a simple task, there were secrets she'd been forced to keep, things she had had to hide from anyone that might have been her friend and what was the point of pretending when there could be no real depth to the relationship? What was the point of a friend you had to keep at arm's length? She'd told him once that it was a waste of energy so she didn't bother and for a while he'd worried she might be a little too antisocial. It had become more obvious as she'd gotten older and started distancing herself some from the adults around her as well, something he recognized as typical teenaged behavior but still worried about. That was why he had been surprised to find she'd made a friend at school, he'd been pleased by the idea.

"I think she always has been Hiei," He murmured, "She just never had a team to play with before." And hadn't they all been there at some point?

XXX

It looked like some kind of tree. Only it was purple and huge and… moving. Horrified and somehow fascinated Kazuki moved closer, his eyes stuck to the bulbous top that from this angle looked almost like a bald head, shadows forming eyes and mouths. It had only two branches, bent downward and twisted around what he thought at first was a trunk in a way that made them look almost like arms. He was nearly to the thing before he recognized the little tendril like shoots waving off of the main structure for what they were, and that what he'd thought was a trunk was actually a cocoon of them, slithering like thin purple snakes, the larger vines shooting off to tremble in the air. The closer he got the more definite what he'd thought were tricks of the light became. The top looked like a head, eyes mouth nose and all, but the strangest, the most disturbing part was that it looked like it was nodding, long slow motions that gave the mouth shaped dent the appearance of opening and closing. One of the tendrils shifted in the air, sweeping slowly toward him through the air, reaching for him. Lifting his hand he reached toward it, planning to see if it was real or some kind of plastic, to see if he could tell if it was actually moving or if his eyes were playing tricks on him. The plant hesitated for a second, almost quivered in anticipation before the vine shot toward him…

"Don't touch it!" Hands closed around his arm, dragging him back several feet before she released him.

"Where the hell have you been?" He half snapped looking at her as she inched closer to the tree, but kept several feet between herself and the plant. "You just disappeared on me again…"

"Sorry… I thought I heard something." She almost whispered her eyes glued to the object in front of her. She didn't tell him she'd thought she'd heard screaming, it would have only upset him.

He didn't like the way she was staring at it, disbelief and awe mixed with what was probably the first edge of fear he'd seen in her emerald eyes in a very long time. Even when she'd been volunteering to hold off that monster clone, talking about what she'd seen as her own impending death she hadn't looked scared. "What is that thing?" He asked, watching her instead of the almost human looking plant.

"It's the sinning tree." She whispered almost reverently and he tried to ignore a shiver that skittered along his spine.

"Sinning tree…?"

Sayuri nodded, "I've never seen one in person before, but…" She paused, "I don't think we should be down here…"

"What because of this thing? Come on it's a freaking plant. _You_ control plants."

"That's not the point Kazuki… I just think we should…" Her plea to go was silenced as something thin and almost white shot out from between the coiled tendrils between the arm-like branches. It curled around her wrist hard, digging into her flesh and pulled with enough force to make her bones hurt. Cringing she tried unsuccessfully to rip herself away.

"Sayuri…!" Jumping forward he caught her other hand and pulled, yanking her back as she slid across the rocky ground toward the tree's base, "What the hell is it doing?"

"I… I don't know…" She pulled against the rubbery substance, "I don't think that's part of the tree. It's whatever it's been feeding on…"

"Feeding on? And here I thought this couldn't get any more disturbing…" He dug his feet in the best he could, yanking her toward him but only barely slowing her progress.

"The tree needs a host to live, it sucks out their life force… when they die the tree withers too, but this one's been here for a long time… you can tell by how far the roots spread and that means it's a powerful one."

"You may not have noticed but this isn't exactly the time for a gardening lecture…"

"Actually I think it's the perfect time…" Twisting her arm she slipped it free from his grasp and pushed him back, turning back to face him as he started forward, "Stay back…"She ordered sharply.

Freezing in the middle of a step Kazuki stared at the purple tendril that had stabbed itself into the skin of her arm inches from the pale bands that had curled around her wrist. "Sayuri…" He breathed, fighting his own urge to rush forward and pull those things off of her as more of the little round vines latched onto and curled around her, "Damn it…"


	23. Waking The Lost

She went so still so quickly that it almost frightened him. Rushing forward his only thought was to reach her and pull her free of the vines tangling around her.

"Kazuki stop." The order was barely a whisper of sound that he was stunned he even heard but that halted him all the same. Watching her closely he remained tense, prepared to finish the trip forward to catch her. "If you come too close it'll attach to you too, and that'll only make it stronger." Her eyes cracked open, glinting green slivers barely visible through her dark eyelashes and Sayuri's lips barely moved as she spoke, her voice still a breath of sound.

"Attach to me? What the hell does this thing do?"

"It traps you in hallucinations and absorbs your life force." She murmured giving him only the necessary facts without adding in the extra details that would have only distressed him. She couldn't see any reason to tell him what kind of gore the hallucinations would entail, or what the weakening effects of the poison the tree was injecting her with would be.

"Okay, then what do we do?" He asked firmly, trying to meet her eyes with what he hoped was a reassuring grin.

She was quiet for a long second before releasing a ghost of a bitter chuckle, "I don't really know." She admitted finally, the faintest edge of uncertainty in her barely there voice, and if Kazuki watched her closely enough he could almost swear she was trembling.

"You're going to be fine." It was almost an order coming from him, and he wanted to move closer in an effort to comfort her, but made himself listen to the instructions she'd given earlier, "Just tell me what to do to get you out of there. How do I kill it?"

"You can't. Any violence only makes it more aggressive."

"Well that's handy." He grumbled, glancing away for a moment so she wouldn't see him roll his eyes and search the ceiling in desperation. Taking a steadying breath he turned back to her, "Come on Sayuri, you know this stuff, how do you beat it?"

"It isn't a matter of beating it." She whispered, "If I fight it it's only going to get worse."

"There's got to be something you can do. Plants are your thing aren't they?" He crossed his arms to look at her, "Just think about it for a minute." They were both silent for several long tense seconds, and he was actually starting to worry that there might be no way before he saw the corner of her mouth tip up into the faintest trace of a smile. "That's it, now what do we do?"

Her eyes fluttered open finally, with that falsely innocent look that made him smile. "Wouldn't you like to know…?" He dissolved into laughter as an equally familiar mischievous glint returned to her eyes.

Sobering Kazuki straightened and looked up at her directly again, glad she was herself again, "Just tell me."

"I'm going to kill it." She said pleasantly, smiling gently at him without moving another muscle.

"And just how are you going to do that?"

"Plants are my thing aren't they?" She mocked, an almost cruel smirk slipping across her features. It faded and she went still again, her eyes drifting closed as she pulled in several long deep breaths. Nearly holding his Kazuki watched her, trying not to fixate on the trailers burrowing further under her skin.

XXX

"I never thought we'd come back here again." He remembered it echoing more, but then he'd been screaming the first time and coming out of the cave there hadn't been much talking… well any talking. He took his two companions' continued silence as agreement, not bothering to look for signs of haunting memories trailing through their eyes, they wouldn't have been a reason to, and he knew they were there even if he couldn't see them.

The temporary silence that fell around them was broken only by the soft scuffs of their shoe soles on stone and the ruffling of fabric as they moved. The first glowing beams of a tuft of lamp weeds reached them moments later, and they paused as a group to look at their first reminder, but didn't say another word.

XXX

Blood. She could smell it, the coppery tinge the acidic after bite of it burning into her sensitive nostrils. The sticky warmth slid slowly down her fingers, she could feel the drops falling away from her fingertips, could almost hear them dripping into the puddle that had formed below. Forcing her eyes open Sayuri tried to force away the sea of red that spilled across her vision. Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of it she dropped her gaze to the ground near her feet; certain it would be easier if there wasn't so much of it.

The crumpled body turned her stomach, sending the bitter sting of bile burning into her throat at the same time it made her pulse speed and attempt to stop simultaneously. Swallowing the lump forming in her windpipe with a deep breath she tried to force the thought away, get rid of the all too real illusion, but it wouldn't go, and the blood was burning into her eyes, the smell seeping into her lungs, "No…" She whispered.

"Sayuri…" His voice was a whisper, a plea, and the crumpled body twitched in an attempt to turn. It took him an eternity to roll toward her, pushing himself onto his back with an immense effort. A trickle of deep red liquid escaped the corners of his mouth, smeared into the dark hair falling around his eyes, one of them swollen closed the other barely a slit, several slices on the side of his neck were still sluggishly pumping out a thick red flow. "W… w…what a… are you…?"

The splatters of crimson fluid along her arms burned her skin, the repulsive stink made her dizzy and her throat muscles worked furiously against the vomit trying to push passed them. She'd done this, she was responsible…

"Sayuri…!" The whisper was louder now, a distant shout and dragging her eyes away from his now lifeless body she was startled by the flickering ghost standing above him that was looking at her. He was already gone? What had she done? She couldn't remember hurting him; she didn't want to remember… "Come on answer me."

Blinking she struggled to speak against her muscles stranglehold on her windpipe, "I… I'm sorry…" She whispered, staring at the flickering spirit instead of his devastated body, "I'm so sorry…" She squeezed her eyes shut again, trying desperately to shut out the sound of his last rasping breaths and…

"What the hell are you talking about?"

She peeled her eyelids open again pulling in several long suddenly clear breaths and tried to blink away the moisture that had gathered in her eyes before looking back up to where he stood, concern readily apparent written all across his face. Pulling in another breath of bloodless air she focused on his thankfully undamaged face and neck. How long had she been here? The hallucinations were getting worse and impaired her awareness of time's passing… it was just so hard to concentrate… Somewhere in her clouded thoughts she knew she was supposed to be doing something… and there was something about a tree… it was just so hard to concentrate over the growing stench of blood…

Her eyelids fluttered closed again and Kazuki's scowl deepened. He could almost feel her slipping away and he didn't like it. "Sayuri…!" He demanded, louder this time. Her eyes remained sealed, her breathing trembled almost as much as the hands at her sides and he tracked the tremor moving slowly up her arms. "Sayuri…!" The shout scratched and strained his throat and still received no recognition. Cursing steadily under his breath he wavered for only a moment in indecision, remembering her insistence that he keep his distance from the tree, reminding himself that if he got too close and caught he would only make it worse.

Well, then he'd just have to be careful not to get caught.

Dodging forward he ducked between the reaching creepers and caught a hold of her arms. "Look, you can be pissed at me all you want when I get you out of here…" He snapped, hoping that somewhere in there she could still hear him. "And if you don't like it too freaking bad…" Locking on to her fluctuating energy wavelengths wasn't easy, and for the briefest of fractions of a second Kazuki considered thanking Genkai for her constant drilling on targeting another person's energy. With a determined set to his eyes Kazuki did the only thing he could think to and forced himself to focus.

It was the laughter that dragged her out of the delirium the next time. A high somehow muted cackle that dug into her eardrums and echoed through her thoughts, the intrusion enough to drag her back to reality. The sensation of warm hands curled around her wrists was almost painful against her chilled skin and overly sensitive to the world around her, glaring lights, grating laughter and hard cold air that bit into her lungs, she could almost feel the blood pulsing through his fingers against her own skin. Feeling dizzy Sayuri blinked in an effort to steady her surroundings and looked up directly into a hard brown gaze.

"Oh, now you come around…" He half growled, and she wondered why he was standing so close to her when he'd been dying on the far side of the room only seconds earlier.

"Do you hear that…?" She asked quietly, also surprised by the quiver of weakness in her voice.

"Now isn't really the best time for twenty questions…" At least she was talking, but it wasn't helping his concentration. Tapping into her energy had been one thing, but now that he had Kazuki had no clue what he was supposed to be doing with it. If he could harness someone's energy and shoot it back at them he should have been able to use it to do other things as well. But hers was so drastically different than his own, like it had a will and life of its own, the alien feeling sank through him, somehow warm and cool at the same time and thrumming under his skin as it coursed through him. And he had no idea what to do with it.

Looking down into Sayuri's unfocused cloudy green eyes he decided against asking. She probably wouldn't have heard him anyway if the distant expression was anything to judge by. Sighing he hesitated a moment longer, looking up from her to the tree that had curled around her, holding her oddly limp body upright.

Her eyes opened suddenly into large circles, her lips parting into a silent scream that he could see echoing in the glassy emerald orbs. The horror there tore at him inexplicably, sinking so deeply into him that he could hear the soundless cry bouncing around in his skull. "Okay… okay…" He whispered, trying to harness and control the power he'd absorbed from her. It pushed against his handle on it, fighting against him and Kazuki finally stopped, letting it wash across him, letting go of his hold on it as he tightened his grip on her wrists, "I have no idea what I'm supposed to be…" The sudden influx of energy washed over him, sank out of his fingers into the body he was holding onto and through her into the tree attached. He watched as it slipped back from her, the long reaching vines shrinking rapidly away, the towering head stooping and then lowering toward them.

All of the energy he'd taken from her flowed out, slipping away into the tree, he could feel it there still, twisting and warping the tree's very structure, the living throbbing energy inside of it. He could feel every fiber of it, things he couldn't name. It was… awe inspiring, but it lasted for only a moment as he watched the tree shrivel before a barely conscious and still shaking redheaded body fell forward against his.

Catching her he retreated a few steps, dragging her with him until he'd moved them both what he deemed to be a safe distance from the perilous plant. Still supporting her he stared over her head at the still shrinking purple tree.

With her head leaning forward against something firm and comfortingly warm Sayuri panted for air as she tried to come to terms with yet another shift in reality as everything that had been real was ripped away from her. It was colder here, but the air didn't stink of death and venom. It took her what felt like several minutes but was really only a few seconds to straighten her thoughts and recognize the warm thing she was clinging so desperately to as Kazuki.

"You alright…?"

His voice was shockingly soothing against her tattered nerves and she nodded against his shoulder as she struggled to reassemble her self-control enough to stand fully. Still leaning against his arm Sayuri glanced back over hers to the tree and watched for a minute as it regressed through its stages of development. "Okay…" She whispered, glad to hear her voice was firmer than it had been earlier, "You can be in charge…"

"What are you talking about? I've always been in charge…"

Swallowing the urge to laugh she released her hold on him and shakily turned back, "How did you figure out how to revert it?" She asked finally, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

He couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that broke through him and he knew without looking that she was staring at him like he'd lost his mind. As the hysterics died to snickering he looked at her finally and struggling to keep a straight face asked, "Wouldn't you like to know…?"

It took him a second to realize the laughter surrounding them wasn't coming from her, or a lingering echo of his own.


	24. Kazuki's Sacrifice

All traces of amusement left him as Kazuki looked past where she stood a step ahead and to one side of him and at the still shrinking tree. Without a conscious effort his body braced itself for motion and his eyes narrowed.

"I think you might have gone a little too far back." Sayuri whispered, also squaring herself to look at the cocoon of purple tendrils that was slowly unraveling in front of them.

"Sorry if I was a little focused on saving your life… next time I'll be sure to think about the tree." He grumbled back, not looking at her. He doesn't have to. He knew almost subconsciously the trace of a grin that would on her face, maybe not on her lips, more in her eyes where she wasn't nearly as good at hiding her amusement or surprise or the countless other things he'd learned to recognize there even when she was trying to hide it from him. He just knew. Knew the way the shade deepened from emerald to forest when she was sad, the way they lightened when she was really angry, the cold shadows that would be in them when she was at her most dangerous, that was a new discovery, but one he'd stowed away with the other mental notes he had decided to take about Sayuri.

"It isn't the tree I'm worried about. It's whatever it's been eating…" She whispered back, keeping her wary gaze on the slithering vines that glinted with the dark venom circulating beneath it's not quite delicate outer casing. The shrieks of laughter continued, with rising intensity in pitch and volume, scraping across the edges of her vertebrae and sending warning tingles down her spine. The tree was dangerous, deadly, and whatever it was holding must have been easily as treacherous. She didn't share her concerns at first; certain Kazuki must have come to the same conclusions, but as the rubbery branches started withdrawing, revealing stringy soot grey strands poking out from between them she chose to give him the option, even though she knew before that he wouldn't take it. He must have come to the same decision about what they'd unleashed, and she knew him well enough to know that he'd take responsibility for that and try to do something about it. "It's not too late to just go…" She told him, glancing back for a fraction of a moment to ensure herself that the expected determined set was on his face.

"What are you kidding? I'm starting to like this whole life or death thing." Somehow she believed that he meant it. She really should have expected that from the start, she had learned that he wasn't going to walk away because it was dangerous when he'd come to her rescue on the island, and had started to suspect they might have a problem when he'd been looking for a demon to shoot his energy at way back at the mansion. Remembering her own words back in that control room she smiled a bit to herself. There had definitely been few dull moments and she was still sure there would be fewer coming.

The grating noise drew her attention again, the peels longer now, so much closer to screams than laughter that it was almost painful to listen to. Mentally she cringed, but refused to let herself physically follow suit.

"Whatever that thing is it's got some lungs doesn't it?" Stepping up next to her Kazuki pressed a pinky finger into his ear hoping to relieve some of the ringing that had started there. "Damn… think I might lose my hearing if that keeps up…"She smiled at his effort to break the building tension. Leave it to Kazuki to turn a potentially life or death situation into a joke.

XXX

"So do you guys think…?" He stopped, realizing they weren't walking with him anymore and turned back, startled into silence for a second by their surprised and angry expressions a moment before the high haunting laughter rang over the stone and into his eardrums. "No way… is that…?" He would never forget that laugh. Even this many years after he'd first heard it that sound still made an appearance in his occasional nightmares.

"I think we should hurry…" He didn't hear Kurama's voice until they had already passed him, hurried footsteps ringing off the stone walls; amplified by the echo until an army might have been running passed him. With a sense of rising alarm Kuwabara joined the ranks and followed at full speed.

XXX

The slippery slithering vines peeled back a layer at a time, revealing glimpses of pasty sweat dewed flesh. Their broken conversation fell away in an instant to shocked silence as bloodshot impossibly stretched sickly yellow eyes wheeled glassily toward them, and a wide cackling mouth swallowed the room's light into a black hole of sound, the pointed chin extending repeatedly down toward... teeth; a row of large bloodstained teeth spotted with fresh specs from gashes they opened in the chalk white skin rubbing against them. The wounds healed almost instantly.

"Alright… what the hell is that thing?" he demanded pointing exaggeratedly at the pale small head and neck protruding from what looked like the lower half of a mouth. He received no answer from the girl standing beside him and instead turned back to the creature being slowly revealed to them. Dark purple veins pulsed in the pale skin, and the cackling continued, but if he looked past that… "Doesn't he look familiar to you?" Again Sayuri was silent, and he crossed him arms compulsively as he thought, one hand rising to his chin, "Where the hell have I seen this guy before?"

"The video Kazuki…" She answered finally, softly.

"Right…" Slamming one fist into the other palm he smiled knowingly, and let it fall as he leaned slightly toward her, "Which video is that again…?"

"The video that led us to the island, remember?" Her patient tone was only a little exasperated. His occasional absentmindedness wasn't surprising any longer.

"What the hell is he doing here then?"

"Clearly nothing good if they had to trap him in a sinning tree." A long thick neck encased in a darker skin tone was revealed tapering into surprisingly large shoulders covered with damaged green fabric. The cocoon he'd been covered in had vanished, leaving only the main branches that had grown in curled around him and the few tendrils that had plugged themselves into his face, leaving the veins stained with the dark venom pulsing under his light skin. The deeply embedded stickers began to slowly withdraw and Sayuri felt herself stiffen as those red splotched eyes fixed directly on her.

"Fox…!" It was the first discernible word to carve itself out of the cacophony of noises the screeching creature had been making, and the already stretched eyes expanded even further, "I'll kill you fox…" Spinning to the side at the last instant she let the stretching rubbery bands extend past her, jumping back as the glinting pointed tips wound back toward her, tearing the orange cuff of her jacket sleeve.

"What are you some kind of psycho magnet or something?" Kazuki snapped, jumping forward to catch the sharp things still reaching for her. He held them back just long enough to let her dodge away from the returning tips before they stretched beyond his hand and he let them go. Turning back to try finding their source Kazuki pulled a face at tracing the long strips of flesh back to a large extended hand. "Okay, that's just…" Unable to find the right word Kazuki stopped and watched the last of the poisoned staining vanish from the veins in the pale small face extending out of the darker lower jaw attached to the large body that was now fully visible. The purple tree shrank several inches, thinning branches retracting into the trunk again and leaving the deformed man standing on his own feet.

"I'll kill you…!" The high pitched screech echoed off the rock walls reverberating back to the girl staring wide eyed at him. Seeing the crazed man charge her Sayuri jumped to the side again to avoid his swipe, barely dodging the sharp tips of fingernails extending toward her again. "You won't get away from me again!" Jumping backward and spinning repeatedly to the side she dodged away from a barrage of attacks, her hand coming up to collect the necessary seed from her hair she lashed to the side with her rose whip and watched one hand, fingers elongated into deadly points, severe from its arm and soar away to the side. Prepared for the other's attack she turned, intending to block it only to watch the long sharp fingers stop inches away from her. The arm they were attached to had been stopped by two other hands. "Why don't you die…?" Those yellow eyes remained on her and dodging away from the fingers growing out of the restrained arm Sayuri flinched back as several sharp tips sliced into her cheek. Startled she turned, staring at the hand that she had severed for only a second before another set of hands caught her and drug her back out of reach.

Glancing at the spot on the ground where the appendage had landed Sayuri felt her breath catch at finding it empty. Ignoring the sticky trickle of warmth dripping down her cheek she turned back to the demon the limbs had belonged to, frowning.

"What the hell is this guy? Did you see him stick that hand back on?"

"No…" She answered, moving away from Kazuki as they each dodged in different directions from the again charging demon. "And I have no idea…" She added in admittance as they landed again, not facing each other, but keeping their attacker in sight instead.

"Some demon expert you are." He snapped, watching the demon once again aim his attacks directly at the girl and completely ignore him.

"Being a demon doesn't automatically make me an expert you know?" She snapped back, jumping up to flip over the attacking demon's head, lashing at him with her whip as she moved, fastening the green length around the large middle she waited the fraction of a second it took to pull taunt and pulled as she landed, twisting to drag the whip backward. Thorns sawed into flesh, lengthening as she channeled her energy into the weapon and ripping the demon's midsection and yellow shirt into shreds. The demon turned just a little toward her, shreds of dripping flesh falling away from the whip as she rushed around him, continuing to wrap and unwrap the weapon at the same time sawing away at the trunk of the demon that had been attacking her, but was currently wailing.

Looking up to continue her path Sayuri stopped short at the sight of talons coming directly at her face, ducking quickly to avoid them she considered going backward, but before she could begin to she sensed motion behind her, and glancing back as she continued forward under the arm she was surprised to find Kazuki standing behind her, his hands pressed together and a small smirk on his face. Peeling his glowing palms apart he met her eyes and jerked his head to the side. Taking the hint she dove out of the way just as an explosion of white energy escaped his hands and slammed the demon backward. Barely braced for the impact Sayuri nearly lost her grip on the whip but managed to hold it as the body slammed back against its restraint and the thorns finished their work of tearing the body in two.

They stood for a moment in silence watching the fallen body for signs of motion that didn't happen.

"Somehow I thought that'd be harder." He muttered. Taking his eyes away from the gory mess of demon Kazuki turned to watch Sayuri stow her reverted rose back under her curtain of red hair and a few drops of blood drop lazily off of her chin. "Come on…" He ordered, stooping to collect a scrap of fabric that had probably once been white off of the ground a short distance from his feet. Sayuri only blinked and followed him silently to the edge of the pond that dominated the center of the domed room. Crouching down he rinsed the thin cloth thoroughly before ringing it out and rising again. Turning he caught her chin and delicately dabbed at the cuts on her left cheek.

Sayuri hissed under her breath and recoiled, but didn't fully escape the fingers holding her chin, "I can take care of it myself." She protested, but didn't fight as he continued mopping at the blood.

"You can stop cringing now." He dropped the bloodstained fabric and turned back to the still dead demon, "Let's get out of here." He had a funny feeling squirming in his stomach, something unnamable but uncomfortable all the same. Kazuki had never wanted to get out of somewhere as badly as he wanted to be out of this cave. Sayuri only nodded, watching him with a look he also couldn't identify for the second before she fell into step beside him and passing the chunks of body they made their way quickly across the porous rock and toward the dark opening ahead.

"A pair of runaways... I should have known sooner. Well if I can't kill the fox himself Daddy's little girl will have to be enough…"

Spinning back toward the voice Sayuri stiffened at the spear tipped fingers barely inches from her.

"_**Move**_…!" Something hit her arm knocking her sideways off of her feet. She hit the rock hard on the opposite shoulder, and rolled onto her back off of the throbbing joint as she sat up, her hand coming up to push against the pain instinctively to try stopping the throbbing. The first drip of falling blood widened her eyes and stopped her breathing.

The second stretched for an eternity as she stared at the spot the sharpened fingertips had plunged into Kazuki's chest. A fresh gush of blood filled her nose with the hated smell of it as the fingers withdrew, dripping slowly from the wound. She heard that the demon was speaking, but not what he was saying, tears gathering in her eyes as Kazuki slumped inward on himself. "No…" She hissed, starting to rise to her feet, dizzy with the strong scent of blood from a wound near the heart, but she knew from the placement that it wasn't just close. It was direct.

His hands came up instinctively as the world started to fade around him, the left catching the withdrawing fingers even as the right extended. This was his last act, he was lucky to have this brief second and he knew it as weakness and numbness set in and reality started to fall away. Directing every drop of energy left in his body to the tip of his right finger Kazuki fired the last second of his life away.


	25. Lamenting Beauty

_So bear with me if this one isn't so great, I've had some trouble with these last couple chapters and I just wanted to get something put up since I don't think I'll ever get it perfected... _

* * *

It was huge and brilliant and blinding and she barely looked at it as it passed. She was far too focused on where it had come from. Somehow Sayuri was on her feet and moving before she'd managed to blink. In the glow left by the enormous blast of energy everything became the same light shade of almost white, everything but the brown eyes that had swept toward her in the exact instant that everything in them, the softness he always looked at her with, the fierce edge of determination, the warmth that radiated from them, flickered, and then vanished.

"Kazuki…" She reached him as he started to fall; her fingers knotting in his shirt in an effort to keep him from crumbling toward his feet. The long tear of ripping fabric took a moment to penetrate the haze of worry in her mind. Adjusting her grip she caught his arms, tipping him backward instead of allowing him to fall forward onto his face. His larger frame fell against her offsetting her balance for a moment. The weight dropped against her slipping further toward the ground, "Kazuki…" She repeated, pulling him slowly backward as her grip on his limp body started to drag her into his fall. "I've got you." She whispered landing on her knees with him braced against her. His head on her shoulder slipped sideways against her chest stopping at the base of her throat. She struggled to hear his breathing over her racing heart that echoed in her ears. Dragging her shaking fingers up from where they'd been digging into his upper arms she pressed them against the side of his neck, searching desperately for a pulse that had to be there but wasn't.

X

"_NOOO_…!" The anguished cry became a scream of pure agony that echoed off the walls and tore into his heart. He never wanted to hear that tone come from her. Rounding the last corner Kurama found her instantly, a small bowed redheaded shape that was radiating such an aura of devastation that he could feel it seeping into him. He froze in the middle of a step, his eyes sweeping across the dark haired boy resting against the girl and he knew. They'd been too late. Stepping away from the others he moved toward her, his eyes going from almost imperceptibly rocking girl to the lifeless body she was holding.

"Oh… not again…" One of the voices behind him whispered, he couldn't tell which it was too quiet to carry any tone, and he was too busy staring at the kids in front of him.

"It's just the tree…" She whispered, chanted under her breath again and again, "it's just the tree, it's just the tree, it's just the tree…" It had to be. It had to be another hallucination. "It's just the tree…"

"Sayuri…" That cautious caring tone cut at her and she stilled, but refused to acknowledge it in any other way until a hand landed on her shoulder. Slowly she made herself turn to meet a familiar green gaze.

"It's real… isn't it?" The empty acceptance in her eyes startled him for a second. As he watched the tears that had been welling there vanished and she eased her grip on Kazuki's listless shape.

"I'm sorry." It was such a heartless way to confirm her worst fears. A ruthless brutal blow would have been easier. That sympathy and understanding reflected in her father's eyes was so much harder to bear than her own pain. Looking away from him she glanced briefly at the top of Kazuki's head before easing herself out from under his weight.

He stepped back as she stood, leaving Kazuki's head pillowed on the orange jacket she'd shrugged out of before rising. Her eyes wouldn't meet his directly, and he waited for her to speak, but the sound that issued didn't come from her.

"Isn't that touching?" The laughter sent a chill down her spine and though she could see the others turning Sayuri didn't follow their eyes to the voice's source. "It's an even better outcome than I had hoped for. I should have gone for the boy from the start." She felt her hands curl into a fist at her side, her fingernails digging into her palms. She stared at the ground by her father's feet. "Doesn't it just tear you apart? If only you'd been faster, if only you'd been here or stopped them from coming here. If only you could have killed me back then." The laughter started again.

"We'll kill you now Toguro…" Kuwabara snapped, rushing forward to stand even with Kurama, trying to put himself between the demon and Kazuki's body. Hiei had beaten him across the space, taking the space in front of Sayuri and directly beside Kurama. The katana at his side clicked loudly in the moment of silence as he prepared to draw it.

"Oh, but you're forgetting. You can't kill me! Even if you pierce all of my vital organs _I can't die_!"

"We'll see about that." By the time Kurama turned to face the voice, a deadly whisper of sound coming from just behind him its owner had gone.

She wasn't sure how her uncle had known she was going to move, she didn't question it either, but as she surged forward between them her hand went, also without forethought, to the seemingly offered hilt as his hand withdrew leaving an opening she knew was intentional. Turning slightly she met his gaze, a recognition of his intentional understated assistance, and watched his red eyes widen almost imperceptibly, a brief flicker of surprise in them before she continued forward with the sword, barely a blur of color that paused for only a second as she reached her goal.

"Sayuri…!" Kurama jolted forward a bit, reaching as if to stop her despite her location being well out of reach and stopped, his voice caught in his throat.

Landing on one knee she twisted to look back, silver hair fluttered around her face and her golden eyes might have been fire for all the heat smoldering in their depths, storming under a layer of icy disdain that shouldn't have been able to exist but had settled there regardless.

"Since when can she…?" Kuwabara's question was a stunned whisper, his surprise echoed on the faces of his friends when he tore his eyes away to glance at them.

"I wasn't aware that she could…" Kurama admitted softly, staring at the tall ears that had mashed back low on her head nearly hidden among the silver white hair. He watched as she climbed to her feet, turning half way back as the body between them separated in a fantastic explosion of blood and flesh.

Hiei smirked, watched her adjust her footing and lunge forward again, the sharpened blade's strikes reduced to flashes of light. "Now we'll see what she can really do…"

"Guys are you sure that's such a good idea? I mean he's practically invincible and he's a mind reader…"

"They don't believe you can do it." He snickered, "Even your father doesn't think you have it in you to kill me."

"Am I supposed to care?" She barely felt the blade passing through skin and bone.

"Kazuki didn't think you did either." That one pierced into her a little, but she didn't stop, "He threw himself in the way for you, because he knew you would need the extra time to run away."

She stopped stiffly, flicking the sword in a practiced move that sent a slice of blood to the ground and left the blade clean as she watched the demon slowly pull his body back together. Stepping quickly to left she avoided a reaching hand, swung back the other way to avoid it again and adjusting her grip on the hilt expertly sliced the offending limb off, following it quickly with its twin. Another glint of steel severed the neck and while they started growing back together she sliced cleanly through the skull and then leapt back, sending another spatter of blood across the ground.

"Wow… She's pretty good with that thing…" Kuwabara had stopped in the middle of a step as well and was now half slumped with his mouth not quite closed.

"Yes, I wonder where she learned that." Kurama murmured, glaring at the fire demon standing next to him. Teaching her to defend herself was one thing, but teaching her how to dissect someone was another entirely. Hiei only met his eyes unashamedly for a second before turning back to watch the continued, if ineffective slaughter.

"She had to learn sometime."

"They've forgotten about him already… such a shame." She heard the voice but barely registered the words; there was barely anything that registered to her in any way. He was talking and all that seemed to exist in Sayuri's head was the overwhelming urge to see the demon dead. "I wonder how quickly you'll be forgotten after I cut you apart…" The long sharp fingernails were driving toward her again, but she barely saw them, just moved instinctively out of the way again and again.

"I don't care." She answered quietly, the sword coming up to cut through the hardened flesh reaching for her. Spinning she began removing limbs again, dicing them into pieces as they fell, driven by an all encompassing need to see him die that had replaced any semblance of thought in her mind.

"You want me dead so badly." Breathing almost heavily now Sayuri paused, staring at the purplish goop that the demon they'd called Toguro's insides consisted of as it grew back together. "It's all you can think about. You can cut at me all you want, but it isn't going to work." He turned to her, shoulders shaking in nearly silent laughter, and a manic glint in his sickly yellow eyes. "All that effort to have gotten you nowhere…"

"I wouldn't say it's gotten me nowhere..." Holding out her hand she uncurled her fingers slowly, revealing a small glinting glass vial filled with a lightly tinged syrupy substance that sparkled in the low light.

"He can't read her…" Kurama murmured surprised, looking at the momentary shock in the other demon's eyes.

"I guess Kazuki isn't the only one who takes after his dad is he?" The way Kuwabara was grinning was almost infectious or would have been if Kurama had been looking at him.

Standing across from them Sayuri's still silver hair fluttered lightly, and for the first time Kurama saw himself, his old self, in her. In the frigid set of her eyes that almost hid the nearly feral danger promised by their depths, in the cruel set of her mouth, held just a breath away from a smile; it was in the edge of steel in her voice. Maybe he had been underestimating Sayuri to some extent. "It's because there's nothing there to read. All she knows, so all he knows, is that she wants him dead." Did her thought process really run so similar to his? He knew that promise of destruction from his own eyes, knew it was only there when he would stop at nothing to follow through on it, knew the overwhelming instinctive need to eliminate the thing that had threatened or harmed something he cared about, and as the hand that had been hanging at her side rose to the hidden base of her skull he knew what was coming next.

"It's a plant extract, a particularly potent one that causes paralysis in demons…" She explained softly, "I'm smart enough to tell you stole that body you inhabit. My father told me about parasite demons once or twice, so I know your real body is in there somewhere. That's why my usual delivery system wouldn't work; I had to introduce it far deeper into your system before it would take effect." Dipping the sword's blade a bit she allowed a bead of the liquid to slip off of the tip "I wouldn't want you squirming too much for this." She flicked her hair back a little as she withdrew her hand, a fat seed resting serenely on her palm that flashed briefly with white light before a sprout burst out of the casing. Sayuri observed it for a moment. "You see I haven't had much practice and I don't want to leave this to chance…" A burst of energy materialized as a flash of red light from her palm.

The light faded, leaving rough bark almost the shade of blood wrapped around her arm and extending rapidly from her, the many mouths the branches had formed clicked in the stillness that had fallen across the cave for a long second before Toguro's muffled grunting drowned them out. The chemical she'd coated the sword with hadn't fully taken effect yet if he could still struggle, but it restrained him from moving. The acid dripped from the organic mouths, tunneling into the rock, as it passed. Sayuri stared, refusing to look away as the first mouth reached and bit into the demon, his shrill screams hurt her ears and she felt them return to where they had been pressed against her skull in an attempt to muffle the noise. Blood and acid mingled, falling and evaporating into thin wisps of smoke. She watched bones melt as the other mouths reached him. Turning away at last she looked past the three people staring at her in awe only a few feet away to the dark haired boy resting behind them, his head tipped back as if he was sleeping on top of her orange jacket, and the tears gathered in her amber eyes, trickled down across her pale cheeks.

It wouldn't bring him back. Nothing would bring him back.


	26. Knife Edge Death-Match

She hadn't wanted to like him…

Its work done the tree began reverting, leathery bark slipping like velvet over her skin and back into the seed closed tightly in her palm. Even once it was gone she remained motionless for a long moment, ignoring the still sizzling puddle of remains, before returning to seed to its normal hiding place. She flipped her hair a bit, unintentionally, as her hand dropped back to her side and she started across the stone floor with surprisingly steady steps, relying on her feet and sense of smell more than her blurry sight to lead her. They moved out of the way as she neared them, letting her pass between them without a word. She hit her knees hard, not bothering to try slowing her descent, not really feeling the pain of the bone hitting solid rock.

"Do you think we should tell her?" Kuwabara whispered, watching her deflate slightly as she heaved a long nearly soundless sigh. Her hands came up in a futile effort to wipe away the tears that were still rolling down her face.

"Tell her what?" He didn't ask because he'd forgotten the last time. Hiei knew exactly what unspoken event Kuwabara was referencing, but he also knew that the phenomenon that had saved Yusuke was unspeakably rare, and there were many reasons that it might not affect his son.

"What do you mean what…That there's a chance…?"

"Kuwabara… stop." Kurama ordered gently, his eyes glued on the girl rather than the men he was speaking to. "We know what you mean. There are too many factors… it would only get her hopes up and crush her even more if it didn't happen…"

"What do you mean? It worked for Urameshi right? And that's his kid isn't it?"

"Yes he is, but there's no guarantee that Kazuki inherited that particular gene, or that he had enough power to trigger the change. There's too much we don't know." They kept their voices low, whispered so quietly they could barely hear each other to keep her from overhearing by unspoken agreement. It hardly mattered. Sayuri wasn't listening anyway.

She hadn't wanted to like him, it had just happened that way. She wasn't even entirely sure of _when_; couldn't remember when they'd started skipping class together, calling each other every night. When had they even exchanged numbers? When had Kazuki become important enough that she would jump through a portal to bring him out? When had she become important enough to him that he would sacrifice himself for her like that? When exactly had it become _him_ saving _her_? She tried to sort back through her memories, a blur of shared milkshakes and stolen afternoons, of mornings on the roof and evening phone calls, of rigging old arcade games so they could play Goblin City for free…

"It would be kindest not to tell her…" Kurama added, taking his eyes away from his daughter for only a second, "In case it doesn't happen." He finished before making his way toward her. There was silence for a moment as he hovered over her, letting her linger in her reverie for several seconds before dropping to one knee beside her. "Sayuri…?"

She blinked in response to her name, and without bothering to try wiping away the wetness on her cheeks she turned toward the questioning and somehow comforting voice. The warm pad of a thumb brushed across the fragile skin beneath one of her eyes, brushing away the moisture gathered there and the cold with it. Blinking and maintaining her stranglehold on a sob that wanted nothing more than to break her Sayuri hesitated before actually bringing her eyes up to his. "I'm okay…" She choked out after a second.

Smiling bitterly he brushed a few strands of still silver hair back from her gold eyes, "No you aren't." It was the permission she wouldn't grant herself. She fell against him as the first sobs shook her frame and a burst of energy stronger than the one that had triggered her transformation exploded from her rocking them all. Catching her easily Kurama wrapped his arms securely around her, rested his head gently against the top of hers, careful of the ears still present there. "But you will be." He told her softly, wishing there was something, anything he could do to make it better. Wishing there was some way to spare her this. She only continued to sob brokenly into his chest.

"It isn't fair." Kuwabara murmured, averting his eyes so he wouldn't have to watch her cry. Squeezing his own eyelids shut to avoid joining her, "They shouldn't have to pay for it just because we couldn't kill Toguro…" Beside him Hiei scoffed quietly, but refused to speak, determined to avoid being pulled into the emotional display, "Kurama can be mad all he wants I'm gonna tell her. She shouldn't have to just sit there and suffer…"

She recoiled sharply just as the first step echoed off the cavernous walls, yanking back from her father she turned sharply toward the advancing man. Only to jump again as flecks of hot sticky blood splattered across her face.

"Kuwabara…!" Her father was on his feet before she'd even had a notion to move. Staggering upright a suddenly dry eyed Sayuri stared at the slightly slumped man standing in front of her, one hand pressed to his chest where more syrupy red was pouring out from between his fingers. Transfixed she took an unsteady step forward just as a shorter, darker figure fell into her path. Her confused eyes widened into circles again as her other uncle collapsed as well, his shoulders dropping out of the way to reveal a short pale demon smirking at her through where his back had been.

"No…" It came out on her breath as she ripped her eyes away from the two bodies to the demon licking his fingertips several feet away. "Not again…"

"It's alright Sayuri. He didn't actually hit anything vital." Climbing back to his feet from where he'd been kneeling between his two now unconscious friends Kurama spared her a glance, just long enough to see the murder return to her eyes. "They're hurt, but that is all."

"Then get them out of here." She marched passed him slowly, ignoring the resumed high laughter that echoed quietly around her. Sensing the coming argument she continued before he could refuse, "They're still in danger here. I can't carry them, you can."

"Be that as it may, I am not leaving you here alone with him..."

"Father…"

"…for long…" He finished, glancing at her, "I'll take Kuwabara and Hiei out of the room, but them I'm coming back. Promise me that you will be very careful until then."

"Don't worry." She whispered.

"Sayuri, I'm serious. He's far more dangerous than you know." Watching from the corner of his eye he saw her nod once as she continued moving forward, her hands coming up in front of her, crossed at the wrist, "Be careful." He ordered again not too gently, as he gathered Hiei's form over one shoulder and caught a hold of Kuwabara's collar to drag them out of danger.

The last thing he saw before the thick coils of white smoke spilled out around her was Toguro charging forward, and Sayuri smirking.

He was nearly to the doorway when the clang of metal against metal jarred him and he considered dropping them and running back to her as it reverberated through his bones. Practically holding his breath Kurama yanked his heavy burden around the last corner and into the darkened hallway.

She closed her eyes as the thick moist vapors caressed her skin, knowing that her sight would be no help in this situation. The demon's scent, which had been masked by the human body he'd invaded previously, was readily apparent to her sensitive nose now. It took her a moment to distinguish the original footsteps from the echoes ringing back to her from multiple angles. Combined with the scent that stuck out against the familiar smell of the smoke it was all she needed to dodge the first strike, moving silently through the banks. Her foot collided with something hard, nearly sending her face first to the floor as she dodged. Another familiar, faint scent wafted up to her with the scrape of metal on stone. The sound hadn't just startled her, but had revealed her whereabouts as well. Reaching down Sayuri felt quickly along the sharp edge of the blade before her fingers curled around the hilt of the dropped sword.

"Found you…!"The footsteps thundered loudly behind her, surprising her with how quickly the source had located her. Spinning on one knee she reacted to a whistle of air overhead, and holding the katana sideways above her head listened to the screech of steel stopping steel. The force of the strike bent her arms a bit before she stopped its progress toward the top of her head. Opening her eyes a little she chanced a glance upward, stared at the sharp edge that glinted in the filtered light above her, the figure attached to it nothing more than a dark shadow in the fluffy whiteness the world had become. He was laughing again. "Did you really believe that would work?" There was a taunting quality to his voice and the weight of whatever was pushing against her increased, "They must all be so disappointed. They spent so much time on you and you can't even kill one demon. You really should be ashamed. If you were a real demon you wouldn't have to hide behind cheap tricks and idiots willing to sacrifice themselves for…"

She exploded from the ground, throwing the heavy blade up and away from her before quickly lashing out with her own; striking a leg she watched the figure fall backward and followed, driving the tip of her own blade into the body, stopping only once she felt the resistance of stone and then only to drag it down through the body. Spinning away, she closed her eyes again.

"I thought you already knew that cutting my body apart doesn't hurt me. Whatever damages you do I can just heal again."

"And I thought you would have realized that you've already lost one body. You shouldn't take me lightly…" The scent was converging on her again. Gauging its proximity and direction Sayuri backed up quickly to keep distance between them and cried out as razor sharp metal dug into the back of her shoulder.

X

"Sayuri…!" He dropped them in response to the shriek of pain, however brief it might have been and was headed back toward the fog even as the sting of blood burned his nose and turned his stomach.

X

"I'm fine…" She'd moved out of the way quickly enough to avoid any real damage being done. He'd drawn blood, but hadn't crippled her. Landing on her knees after a miraculous tumbling maneuver she was certain she'd never be able to repeat Sayuri fell silent as she pushed herself back up to her feet, straining her usable senses to find her assailant's whereabouts. Two sets of footsteps were coming closer to her.

"Not for long young lady." The voice came from her left, where the scent was laced with blood, but…

"And when I've finished with you, I'll be sure to leave your mangled corpse with your father's…" It came from the right, a little further away, and she would have thought it was trick if it weren't for the scent. Two identical smells, two living sources. Her eyes opened wide to see two shapes coming toward her in the banks of fog…

X

"Kurama…" The voice was weak and drew his attention to the large person he'd been dragging backward, and had thought was unconscious.

"You should save your strength Kuwabara…" He murmured, renewing his efforts to pull them from the room.

"No…! You have to get in there and help her… can't you see? There's not just… He's… separated."

X

"Then I'll hunt down and kill every person you've ever known…" Dodging the blow from the left she had no choice but to use her borrowed katana to block the one from the right. Using the brief recoil that was caused by deflecting the blow she turned, aiming a kick at the first attacker that sent him flying back from her. Spinning back to the second fighter she lashed out with her left fist, knocking him back as well, and heard the approaching footsteps a second too late.

Golden eyes flashed open in the darkness as another shadow loomed above her, a thick blade glinting wickedly in the diminishing haze. Dodging to the side of the first blade she was forced to roll to avoid a second identical one and then a third that came slashing at her out of the smoke. Gasping for breath now she came up to her feet, turning as another came at her. "So I've lost one body, now I can make as many as I like. How does three to one sound to you?" It took both hands to hold it off and she ducked the next a fraction too late, leaving a thin slice in the side of one of her ears that stung and bled a shocking amount in the second following it's making. Still struggling against the first blade, and recovering from the second the third went unnoticed until a whisper of air fanned against the back of her neck and she had only a second to curse her foolishness for letting him get behind her before…

X

The sharp snap of breaking metal echoed through the room. Stopping short Kurama stared as the dispersing smoke screen finally faded away.

She was covered in blood, her hair stained red by it so that it took him a moment to realize she hadn't transformed back. But she was still standing fully upright, surrounded by thee versions of a small grey haired demon, each with one arm shaped into a large deadly blade, and they all stared at the dome of spiraling blue lighting-like energy that had formed around the girl.

At least until the flash of red light from the side of the room blinded them.


	27. A Matter of Love and Death

It washed over her, surrounded her in a way that dazzled every sense. So completely alien and exactly the same, that it made her a bit dizzy as it settled into her, around her, sliding like a warm breeze over her scraped and bloodied skin, sinking through her every guard to touch that still grieving piece of her that she was trying so desperately to ignore. It might have been seconds or years that it took the energy to sweep through her entire body, wiping away the pain and tension that had gathered knots in her muscles and leaving her feeling limp, lightheaded.

The web of blue energy lines, which had been sweeping slowly past her now unfocused vision, thinned and wavered for a second before finally disappearing entirely. The blades they had been holding at bay came for her; she could feel someone coming up behind her but she didn't move, didn't breathe. Until she heard the voice, barely whisper in her ear.

"Damn it Sayuri, look at you… I take a break for five minutes and you turn blood spattered into a fashion statement." She stiffened again, pulling in a hopeful little half breath that made the room stop spinning but did nothing against the weightless fuzzy feeling in her brain. An arm settled around her and she started breathing again just as the world turned sharply white around her, the comforting energy turning hard and sending her would be assailants flying back from where she stood and making what little had remained of the world fall away.

In the white haze she turned, blinded to everything but the brown eyes that melted out of the nothingness to look at her, fading into existence from pure white. She held her breath again, certain it was real, certain she had gone insane and not certain of anything at exactly the same instant. "Kaz…" The name was silenced by the gentle impact of lips hitting hers, warm and softer than she would have expected, brushing and pressing, burning against hers long enough for her widened eyes to fall closed before she felt and tipped her head against the fingers tangling in her hair. Leaning forward into the contact she felt his arms tighten around her, and hers slid up looping around his neck to hold onto him desperately.

X

"Botan's gonna be mad that she missed that one."

"I wish I was so fortunate…" Kurama muttered, leaving the larger man seated on the stone ground in the doorway to the cavern room and hauling an unconscious Hiei around the corner. Kuwabara snickered.

X

Kazuki stepped away, leaving her dizzy again, blushing and gasping for breath as the world suddenly crashed back into being. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that…" Her fingers trembled as the tips came up to hover over her still tingling lips. Her eyes slowly opened again and she turned to follow him but didn't speak, "For a minute there I didn't think I'd get a chance to." He flashed that grin that only deepened the blush she felt burning her cheeks, at her over his shoulder as he spoke. His eyes hardened when the laughter started again, flashed away from her to the figure dusting himself off across the room. "Maybe it's just the concussion, but I'm seeing triple…"

"He can multiply…" Finding her voice she stepped forward, planning to put herself between Kazuki and the demon that had killed him. She was stopped by an outstretched arm that kept her a step behind him.

"Well isn't that handy." He muttered his glare fixed on the three figures climbing to their respective feet after being thrown in various directions. His knuckles popped loudly in the ringing silence that had settled over the room. "Let's get this over with…"

"What do you think you're doing?" She caught his shoulder as he started forward.

"I let him out didn't I?"

"He killed you!"

"Yeah, that just means I've got a score to settle doesn't it?" Yanking away from her hold Kazuki stomped forward a few steps, "Think you can hit me now that I'm looking?" He snapped, trying to keep all three in his sight.

"Hitting you isn't the object… killing _her_ is…" A gush of air ruffled her hair and Sayuri turned to the side, staring at the glinting tips of extended fingers that had been stopped inches from her head. She watched as a blast of energy centered in Kazuki's hand ripped the flesh apart, sending a few ribbons to the ground. For a second she stared at him, wondering how he'd moved around her without her seeing him.

"Get out of here Sayuri."

"What…?"

"You said I was in charge right? This jerk's after you, so get out of here."

"You were in charge until you got yourself killed. That kind of loses you the leadership role." She snapped every instinct she had screamed at her to stay with him, to keep it from happening again. She couldn't let something like that happen again.

"Damn it Sayuri! Will you just listen to me for once?!" Frustrated he caught her shoulders, "All this guy wants is to cut you into little pieces and there's no way in hell I'm letting that happen. You're already beat up enough. I'll take it from here."

She hesitated for a second, examining the sharpened edge of determination and pleading in his eyes before releasing a sigh. "Alright…" He released her and Sayuri turned to walk away, "But you better not die on me again Kazuki Urameshi, or you're going to pay for it."

"Got it…" He called after her and turned back toward the advancing demons, "So, where were we?" Smirking he started forward at a run, "Oh, I think I remember."


	28. The Difference Maker

There was no crunch of bone as he hit the first copy of the demon. And while Kazuki could appreciate a challenge he was really getting tired of not inflicting any damage when he started out fighting someone. Against humans he could usually break something right off the bat, he knew where to hit, how hard to hit, but with demons it usually turned out to be a lot more involved. Maybe their bones were in different places… or just more solid or something. It just meant he'd have to try harder.

X

"Something's wrong…" She whispered tracing his fists as they connected again and again but seemed to have no effect. The tension that had left her returned as the fruitless barrage continued.

"What do you mean? He's doing fine…"

She glanced at Kuwabara for a fraction of a second before her eyes went back to trying to trace the fight, "Kazuki can hit a lot harder than that. It's like he isn't channeling his energy into his hits, but he always has, even before he realized that was what he was doing." She explained softly, her eyes narrowing as she followed him.

"He needs time to adjust to his new energy, he hasn't learned to use it fully yet, and it's showing now that he isn't concentrating on it directly." Kurama answered, also tracking Kazuki's every move.

"New energy…?" She looked at him, confusion and curiosity warring with concern for dominance in her eyes.

"There's a difference between spirit and demon energy." Kurama reminded her quietly.

"Demon… Kazuki's human… How…?"

"Mazoku blood, on his father's side…" Watching her from the corner of his eye Kurama watched contemplation and then understanding flicker across her face.

"Atavism…?" There was an air of disbelief and awe to her voice as she whispered it, her slightly widened eyes turning back to Kazuki, "But… I thought that was just a myth…"

"You shouldn't assume. How did you think he was resurrected?" Sayuri didn't answer him and Kurama allowed the conversation to drop.

X

It wasn't working. Brows pushed together in concentration Kazuki aimed another hit, felt the impact all through his arm and watched the demon he was attempting to pummel smirk. That should have sent him flying, should have at least doubled him over. Brown eyes narrowing he aimed another, a third, a seventh. It wasn't working. He was hitting as hard as he was able and it wasn't getting him anywhere.

The sharp edge nearly clipped him, but he moved out of the way at the last instant and it sailed instead through one of the copies that had been trying to work its way behind him. The separated pieces flew apart in different directions as Kazuki finally came up with an uppercut that sent one of the copies sailing off his feet and into the water. Without taking time to admire the splash he turned, knocking the other two away from him and paused for only a second to decide which to pursue. He wasn't certain which of his senses alerted him to the coming danger. His body reacted instantly without a conscious effort on his part to flinch to the side and out of harm's way letting the metal drop past him to collide forcibly with the rock where his feet had been. Spinning he stomped on the lowered arm, felt something snap beneath his foot like a thick twig, and finished with a right jab that sent the startled demon back a step. Past where he landed two more were climbing to their feet, and behind him the soft splash of water betray walking feet. Four…? There was four of him? He could have sworn there were only three when he started…

Ducking a swing he heard the heavy thud of the blade entering a body and glanced up in time to watch the copy behind him be torn apart, the upper portion flying off away from the lower. So, that was it…

X

A gasp of understanding escaped her as she watched a hit that Kazuki had neglected to dodge sail over his head and slash into another of the Toguro copies. One blood spurt and exaggerated separation later there were five.

It had been intentional. He was aiming for himself. Cutting himself in half was how the demon multiplied, and he was making a show of it, making more of himself to overwhelm them, probably in hopes of doing it before they noticed. She had to do something about it, but telling Kazuki flat out would betray that they were aware of the demon's plan and any advantage would be lost. Still thinking of what to do with this information she caught a glimpse of Kazuki's face, the calculating expression that had narrowed his darting eyes, and that plotting smirk on his lips. She stopped short in her thoughts and preparations to assist. He already knew.

X

He didn't bother to evade the next slash, confirming his suspicions as the demon missed him and a fifth version joined the crowd forming around him. Another barrage of slashing, a few of the blows aimed for him this time left him with more standing in the closing circle around him. He was quickly losing count as he watched more bodies separate, the pieces flying back from each other and more bodies rising from the severed chunks. Some were coming at him; others were still tearing themselves apart. The crowd was growing ceaselessly, and his attempts at finding a way to stop the increasing numbers were quickly replaced by attempts at keeping the horde away from him. It wasn't doing much good.

Eyes mirroring his body's constant motion Kazuki dodged repeatedly as blade after blade came at him, jumped to the side as stabbing fingers shot forward from the other direction and then ducked to evade another hand. Panting for breath he rolled away from another attack only to cringe as a foot collided with his ribs, another coming toward his face. Jumping up quickly he caught the leg and flipped it upward, throwing its owner backward and knocking down several of its twins. He was able to pause for only a second before the onslaught began again.

X

Seeing several copies turn away from the edge of the crowd Sayuri stiffened, shifting her weight to put herself between the oncoming demons and her injured uncle she braced herself, not reaching for the whip, she would have to find a way to kill them that didn't include dismemberment or she would only be helping the demon. Stabbing wasn't much of an option either, with the demon's accelerated healing it would have only put her in an easier striking range without causing any lasting damages. So if physical injury wouldn't work… she had to attack the entire body at the same time.

She gathered the required seed as she glanced sidelong, meeting her father's gaze. Uncurling her fingers she revealed the small green pod swelling in her palm to the questioning eyes. He nodded once, tipping his hand to show her the same plant already in his grip. His eyes flashed to Kuwabara, a silent signal of which way he would be going following this plan. Nodding once Sayuri turned to the crowd of Toguro, searching for the dark haired shape of Kazuki. Finding him she funneled her energy into the pod, pulled in a long deep breath and glanced back at her father. Their eyes locked for a second before he nodded, once almost imperceptibly.

The pods soared in nearly identical arcs through the air, glossy swollen surfaces glinting in the low light. Striking the ground at the same instant there was a brief second where it seemed they would bounce before the delicate green skins parted and began expelling large billowing plumes of noxious almost sparkling yellow green vapors. Holding her breath Sayuri darted forward, breaking through the poison spores at full speed, darting around the surprised demons she knocked several aside as she reached the staring dark haired boy standing in the center. Clapping her hand over his mouth Sayuri leaned close to his ear and hissed the order, "Do _not_ breathe." Wide eyes blinked at her twice before he nodded.

Their vision was entirely obscured before the banks of poison settled around them. Releasing her hold on him Sayuri pulled back a little, turning to survey the ring of bodies that had fallen around them. She took a short tentative sniff of the air before allowing herself a full breath and looking to the far side of the room where her father was helping her uncle to his feet.

"What the hell was that?"

"Poison..." She answered simply, looking at the ring of bodies a second time before turning back to him, "I guess it worked."

"What are you supposed to be an exterminator?" He crossed his arms to glare at her, but it was half hearted at best.

"At least I'm a good one." She teased absently before turning to meet his eyes with a little half smile that Kazuki couldn't help returning.

There was a brief second of silence before a chuckle and the first rumbles of movement started. They exchanged a glance before going back to searching the piles in an attempt to figure out which of the figures was moving. Both sets of eyes widened as the laughter increased, and one by one the bodies began to rise.

"Did you really think that would be enough?" The one directly in front of them lifted his hand to wipe at a trail of blood that had leaked from the corner of his mouth, "It will take more than a little poison to finish me off." A general murmur of agreement went through the ranks accompanied by more of that laughter that was starting to give him a headache.

"Will you shut up already?!" Kazuki snapped, moving half a step forward, "Listen to you… You can't kill me, that didn't work, blah, blah, freaking blah. I'm sick of hearing it. If you're going to try killing us again, just get it over with so I can kick your ass and get out of here, I've got better things to do with my time than stand around listening to you bitch."

It was nearly impossible to make out anything in the din of shouts and threats that erupted from the ring of again standing duplicates. Letting her eyes sweep around the circle Sayuri turned, pressing her back against Kazuki's. "Alright, and what came after the make the psychotic angry part of your plan?" She asked quietly.

"Hey leave me alone, this guy's getting on my nerves." He shrugged one shoulder, and tipping his head to the side listened to the satisfying pop of his neck. He felt more than heard her sigh and suppressed a chuckle. "Besides since when do we need a plan? It's not like we've never fought of some jerks with knives before."

The first demons reached them, some slashing, and some stabbing, some sharpened fingertips crisscrossing over their heads as they both ducked to avoid them. "You do remember what happened the last time don't you?" She asked over the din of shrieks. Coming up she twisted, driving her knee into a midsection an instant before she struck out with a left fist. Twisting back onto her other foot she turned, lashing out with the other fist.

"Sure…" Kazuki watched another demon go sailing away and turned to the next, three quick jabs later he turned to a third and sent it flying with another punch, "We won…"

"And one of us ended up with stitches…" Dipping to avoid another slice Sayuri caught the arm reflexively and altering the momentum stabbed it into another body as she turned back to look at him.

Throwing one Toguro over his shoulder Kazuki aimed a punch at the nose of another, before catching a bladed arm and using it to slice into yet another. The blade halted half way through before pulling back, Kazuki watched the body instantly start healing itself before knocking that one back as well. Turning he watched Sayuri spin toward him and met her eyes before answering, "Yeah, you…"

They exchanged falsely annoyed looks for a second before darting past each other, each aiming for the demons headed for the other. Exchanging a few blows they turned again, and brushed past each other for the same reason, trading spaces again to continue.

It was several minutes before they stopped, back to back again and panting for breath. "This isn't getting us anywhere." Sayuri whispered, eyes darting from one identical face to the next.

"I see what you mean." Kazuki groaned, watching as all the demons he had already beaten to what should have been within an inch of their lives regained their feet.

"So… any bright ideas…?"

"Try whatever you like it won't do you any good. All your whispering is doing is wasting the last seconds of your life." There were in reality several whispers, several voices saying different things, but they all boiled down to the same idea. The same damned speech that Kazuki was already very tired of hearing. "By all means continue plotting, I'll spare you a few seconds to say your goodbyes before you die…" There was another flurry of movement, each of the countless Toguros moving at the same instant to rush them. Separate and somehow almost connected still the two dodged, ducking and darting but always at the last second coming back together in the center seemingly without looking, to guard the other's back and be guarded in return. A silent and unspoken agreement forged by months of far less important and dangerous fights in alleys and on street corners when one of them, and Kazuki was rarely ashamed to admit that it was almost exclusively him, was targeted by a large group. Menial practice that allowed them, even now against the far greater numbers, to know how the other moved and find them without having to search for that meeting spot.

"Just as cowardly as your father…" It was a whisper that came through the flurry of motion that nearly stopped Kazuki in the middle of a step, "He was too frightened to fight me alone as well."

Righting himself Kazuki glared at the many smirking faces looking back at him. "That's funny. From what I can see you're the one with the army of stand-ins to fight little old me, so which of us does that make a coward?"

"Stand-ins…? Take a closer look…" All motion stopped with the few demons around him, but several more were coming closer, "There are no stand-ins, no connectors, we're all individually in control of ourselves. Each of these is the real one. You're just as stupid as your father as well."

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." The commotion started again and he was forced to speak between punches, "You can stand around here and try to tell me I'm just like him all you want, I'm kind of used to it, but it just proves how stupid you are." Catching two of the blades coming at him Kazuki dodged back half a step, guiding the sharpened edges past him, "You see there's one thing I have that my old man could only dream about." The blades cut sharply into the opposing bodies, "And that's why it doesn't matter how many of you there are you're still gonna lose." After only a bit of resistance the weapons slid of their own will, maintaining his grip on the weapons Kazuki halted them before the gaping wounds could completely segment the bodies, "Don't you want to know what that is?" He smirked up at the demon standing in front of him, then quickly at the two on either side. Receiving no answer he stood fully again, slowly dragging the blades back out of the gaping wounds they'd caused. "My old man may have been an idiot; you aren't the first person to tell me that. So I guess I'm lucky then, because I got Mom's brains and that means…" Catching the two bodies he slammed them against each other, pushing opposing wounds close to each other. Watching the two wounds heal he smirked in satisfaction as the dark tubers doing the reconnecting connected the two bodies as well, turning first into a lump of flesh and finally into a single form, "I've got one hell of a learning curve…"

* * *

_I know it took a while... please forgive me_


	29. Closure

"It took me a couple minutes to catch on to what you were doing. That distance thing had me all mixed up for a few seconds there. If someone," He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the girl standing behind him, "hadn't known how bodies normally act after they're cut apart I probably wouldn't have noticed it. You hid it pretty damned well." His smirk faded only a little, "The healing thing's automatic right? Your body just puts itself back together, grows back whatever's permanently missing or destroyed… that's why you had to throw the pieces so far apart; to get them out of range of each other. Nice trick." For a long second there was a surprising amount of silence in the cave. "That whole letting us talk thing… probably not your best idea."

X

"How did he not know they were on to him? I mean he's a mind reader right?" Kuwabara snapped, picking himself up from the ground out of sheer willpower, his hand leaving the multiple wounds in his chest for the first time.

"That power was never Toguro's; it belonged to the psychic whose body he stole." Truthfully he couldn't remember what the man's name had been, by the time he'd met him the human had been dead anyway so it hadn't seemed like a very important detail.

"So… when Sayuri's death tree thing destroyed that body…"

"She destroyed his ability to read thoughts." Kurama supplied, "Toguro separated from the body before she could destroy him with it, but she did weaken him."

"Weakening him isn't good enough." They turned toward the new voice as Hiei half limped around the bend in the cave he'd been placed behind, favoring his injured left leg.

X

"That's it Kazuki, you know what he's up to, now do something about it!" She cheered before catching herself and glancing at the spirit beside her.

"What happened to he's just a boy?" The redheaded woman teased with a little smile.

Keiko looked sheepish for only a second before she turned with her own grin to the boy on the opposite side of the lake they lingered near the edge of, "He isn't just _a_ boy, he's _my_ boy, and there's nothing he can't do."

X

The warmth of an arm brushing against his own told Kazuki that she'd joined him before Sayuri spoke, her voice soft, "On three?"

"I never asked for your help…" There was no harshness to the statement. It was playful, more than accusing, or reproachful. There was a bit of a glint in his eyes that betrayed the smile that wasn't on his lips.

"When have you ever had to?" She responded, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back at the ring of still multiplying enemies.

"Right…" He nodded, bracing himself for movement, "Three…"

The flash of a green whip shot out around the room, cutting into the forms in range. Following in its wake Kazuki caught the torn bodies, shoving them together two to three at a time, doing his best to secure the bleeding shapes to each other long enough that the connecting tissues could fuse them back into a single form. He lost track of the number of times he rounded the circle as the horde's numbers began to thin and then dwindle.

Skidding to halt next to her Kazuki watched the whip halt and coil back into her hand before turning to look at the far fewer shapes around them, distanced too far from each other for his previous efforts to have done any good. Any wounds Sayuri's whip inflicted would heal far too quickly for him to force them together over that amount of space.

"We're going to have to destroy every bit of him or he'll just keep coming back." She whispered.

"I know." He muttered, "And I think I've got a way to do it, but we've got to get them all close to each other."

"How close together, general vicinity or right on top of?" She asked quickly, eyes flicking from the four shapes in front of them to the two on either side before finally making the trip to the single shape behind them.

"Close as you can get them…" He answered, recognizing the almost wicked spark in her eyes that preceded a usually dangerous, but affective course of action.

"Alright, how much time do you need me to buy first?"

"Not much. Don't do anything dumb, just get them in the same spot." Sayuri only nodded in response to Kazuki's order. The tip of her rose whip dropped from her hand against the stone, and hung there, coiling against the rock floor as she concentrated, funneling her energy through the whip's length to harden the tip, focused entirely on the weapon as she guided the strengthened tip into the rock. It took a remarkable amount of concentration to split the hidden tip under the stone and send tubers tunneling through the solid ground beneath her feet. As the seven Toguros began moving, rushing toward her it was left to Kazuki to keep them from actually reaching her, something that was far easier now that there were fewer of them, and wary of the pairs recently discovered tactic of combining his forms the seven were careful to attack only one at a time and keep from coming to close to each other. It took only a few moments really, but might have been hours. Biting her lower lip in concentration Sayuri hesitated, waiting for just the proper moment before sending a final surge of energy into her rose whip.

The ground rumbled as the lightly thorn-coated shoots burst up the rock, cracking it and sending bits of gravel and dust soaring into the air. The thin vines, the bright green of new growth danced momentarily in the air, countless glinting tips stopping only briefly once they had shattered the barrier between them and the air. Another burst of energy gave them direction. The whips shot out, wrapping around the seven Toguros limbs and torsos, digging in with viciously sharp thorns to secure their grip. Almost instantly the struggling bodies began distorting, trying to stretch and cut through the bindings. With her eyes closed and a thin sheet of sweat forming on her forehead Sayuri continued to funnel energy into and around the whip, tightening its grip, sharpening the thorns and coating the whole thing in a layer of energy that kept it from being shredded by the blades trying to hack at it.

"Remind me not to piss you off any time soon…" Kazuki muttered as all seven finally congregated in one place.

Beside him Sayuri wavered for a moment, running very low on energy she jerked as a twinge of warning pain shot through her arm. She wouldn't be able to hold the whip much longer. "Kazuki…"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and was surprised to find green eyes blinking at him. He didn't need the further warning to know they were running out of time. "Alright, I've got it from here." Clenching his fist at his side he watched the vines start to wither and slide away from the shapes. This hit wouldn't destroy them, but it would immobilize them long enough for the one that would. Jerking his fist forward he watched the burst of fist sized energy balls shoot out from his hand, bombarding the several demons with blows and startling them into stillness. Gathering his energy into his fingertip Kazuki braced himself, waiting a moment longer until he'd put everything he could muster into the shot before releasing it at the motionless targets.

The red ball struck them with the force of a freight train, knocking the many forms off of their feet and lighting them eerily as the flesh began to flake and disintegrate before the glow demolished them completely.

Releasing a long breath Kazuki slumped a little and turned to the panting redhead beside him. Still breathing heavily she flashed him a smile that he was all too happy to return. "That was a little harder than I expected…" he murmured, letting himself drop to his knees.

Nodding Sayuri stooped, reaching for the rose that had fallen free of her fingers. Her eyes widened as she felt a flicker of energy behind her.

He felt Sayuri move a fraction of a second before he heard the shriek and running feet. Still on one knee he turned, staring at a cloth covered back came into view. A high grunt of pain escaped Sayuri as the sharp edge of a blade appeared through her back, inches from Kazuki's face. "Uh…Sayuri…?"

"We forgot…" She breathed, catching the tanned flesh that extended from an almost orange colored sleeve. Looking up at the pale head extending out of the lower jaw of a larger, darker skinned body she barely heard him laughing and struggled to hold to the blade the fingers had changed into, keeping it from slicing through her and doing any more damage.

"Forgot what…?" He struggled to his feet, watched her slowly drag the blade out of her stomach.

"We cut him in half at the start… he must have been hiding in the water…"

"I was aware of your plans the whole time, just like I know you think you can still win, but you don't have the power left to try…"

"Yeah… watch this…" Surging past Sayuri Kazuki buried his fist in the demon's midsection, sending him and his reconstructed stolen body flying backward, dragging the blade out of Sayuri's midsection. He heard her gasp and saw a glimpse of her falling toward her knees. Another hit sent the demon into the air. Kazuki stopped, again gathering his energy for a shot, but before he could fire the room was washed in blue light.

Startled by the singing energy Kazuki recoiled slightly, watching the enormous orb that he hadn't fired soar passed him, tearing into and obliterating the demon he'd been about to do the same with.

"This isn't a good place for a party guys…"


	30. To the Future

_I_ _finally had a chance to put a little more work into this chapter. It still isn't the best ending in the world as far as I'm concerned, but it is better than the one that was originally posted, at least in my opinion. Let me know what you think, I can always continue to edit and opinions are very much appreciated. Thanks in advance._

* * *

"What? You guys think you can have an end of the world reunion and just not invite me?" Planting his hands firmly on his hips and with a half hearted glare Yusuke Urameshi marched out of the half shadowed entrance to the cavern. A few steps into the space he paused, taking a second to look at each of them in turn. Kuwabara, looking older than Yusuke remembered him, had stopped in the middle of a step and turned toward him. Slack jawed and slightly bowed over he was stammering something nonsensical and pointing. The initial shock had vanished from Hiei's face. Bracing in anticipation of an attack when the fire apparition appeared less than an inch from him Yusuke remained stiff as the shorter demon circled him, the typical glare vanishing in face of the concentrated examination he seemed to be receiving; as if Hiei suspected him of something unforgivable, or wasn't entirely certain that he was real. "Um Hiei, you're kind of freaking me out man…" As he would have expected a glare was the only answer he received.

"Hey Asshole…" There was something familiar about the strange voice that he couldn't place, and curious to see who was mouthing off and to whom, Yusuke turned in search of its source. Upon finding it he promptly froze. "Who the hell asked you to stick your damned nose in _my_ fight?" This had to be some kind of dream or hallucination something. Stomping toward him was a face he remembered perfectly from the mirror when he was roughly fourteen.

Annoyance and surprise quickly faded to amusement and Yusuke released a chuckle before he'd planned to, "Okay, what's this supposed to be some kind of pathetic joke? I'm betting you found the look alike right Kuwabara? How'd you guys know I was coming I wasn't even plan…" To the kid's credit the punch that hit the right side of Yusuke's face actually forced him to take more than one step back before he caught his balance again.

"Kazuki…! He's…" He traced the voice to its owner quickly, but spared the girl a look only long enough to recognize the unusually red shade of her hair before dragging his eyes back to the boy still glaring at him from a few feet away.

"I don't care who the hell he thinks he is. He had no freaking right to butt in."

Yusuke straightened quickly, shrugging out of the jacket he'd been wearing with a thin smirking grin on his face. "Alright Kid, I was gonna let you get away with a warning since you kinda made me laugh, but now you've gone and pissed me off."It surprised him that the kid, Kazuki the redheaded girl had called him, dodged his first jab, but the left hook that followed was more successful. Even if he was holding back to avoid injuring the boy too severely Yusuke's hit should have sent him flying. It didn't, and the older brunette paused for a second to look at the younger one.

"Like I freaking care…" Straightening himself Kazuki ignored a trickle of blood escaping his split lip. His eyes widened when Yusuke seemed to disappear and a moment too late felt the flash of energy that betrayed the older man's presence as a fist bent him in half and cracked two of his ribs.

X

Staring at the blurs of motion they became Sayuri didn't notice when her father knelt at her side until she felt the searing pain caused by hands pressing hard against the wound in her back. Hissing and jerking away from the pressure she spun to look at him with narrowed eyes.

"This was very reckless of you, if you'd positioned yourself the wrong way you could have been killed."

"I know that…" She muttered, then turned away, "Why aren't you trying to stop them?"

"It seems about right for a father son reunion to me." Kurama answered softly, "We should get you to Yukina. I have a feeling this is going to take a while."

Sayuri cringed as a punch that she was barely able to see sent Kazuki flying into the water, but didn't struggle as her father lifted her. "Shouldn't someone stay… to make sure they don't hurt each other…?" She asked quietly.

"They'll be alright. Yusuke won't hurt him too seriously."

Watching over his shoulder as he carried her out into the darkened tunnel Sayuri seriously considered fighting to remain, or would have if she wasn't starting to get dizzy from the blood loss or was able to move without deep stabbing pains. "Are you sure?" She asked again, softly, and felt her father sigh.

XX

He was breathing hard, not exactly panting yet, but still pulling in heavy breaths, and he had secured a few scrapes, nothing serious, but a few had drawn blood. All in all though Yusuke was doing a lot better than the kid leaning against the wall in front of him was, and that gave him the usual sense of smug satisfaction. "Well you can take a hit kid, I'll give you that much."

"I'm not the only one bleeding pal, in case you hadn't noticed." The boy sneered back, pushing his black hair out of his eyes, there was something familiar about those eyes, other than that they were shaped like his, something Yusuke couldn't place off the top of his head.

"A couple scrapes, probably did it myself..." Flashing his trademark smirk Yusuke was a little disheartened by seeing it mirrored on the other face, "Don't go thinking you managed to hurt me… kid…" He added the last word because it seemed to needle the boy, and judging from the glare being directed at him it was working.

Fists clenched the _kid_ scoffed, "You're either dense or way more of a jerk than I thought. I'm Kazuki." He snapped, and judging from his look Yusuke could tell that was supposed to mean something, though even if his life had been on the line he wouldn't have known what.

"That supposed to mean something to me?" He'd asked without meaning to, and there was a flicker of… pain in the eyes that met his that made them so hauntingly familiar it froze him for a long second. Why did he know that look? Where was it so familiar from? As if he'd been staring at it for years.

"I should have known I was wasting my time…" Kazuki muttered, pushing away from the wall, and barely containing a wince as his battered body complained about the motion. "It's been fun and all, but I've got better things to do right now than stand around with you. My best friend just took a sword to the gut for me, and I've got to go make sure her dad isn't gonna kill her."

"Hold it…!" Catching the limping boy's arm Yusuke brought him to a stop, "What the hell was that supposed to mean?"

"Okay, a sword's kinda like a big knife and the gut is someone's stomach…" He enjoyed the glare that was directed at him probably more than he should have. There was just something unspeakably and deeply satisfying about frustrating the older man.

"You're Kazuki, yeah fine, nice name, but why is that supposed to mean something to me?"

Turning back those strangely familiar eyes, the same shape as his, but several shades lighter, met his again. "I don't know, _Dad_, why should it?" Ripping himself away Kazuki started marching across the room slowly, trying to ignore the pain the steps caused in what was probably a fractured left leg and a few bruised if not cracked ribs. He couldn't help feeling that it wouldn't have hurt quite so bad if he'd broken some of Yusuke's as well.

"Dad…?" Blinking after him Yusuke was perfectly still for a moment before the realization struck him. Why had the boy's eyes looked familiar? They were Keiko's… then that meant… _Dad_…?

There was no way, it just wasn't possible. _Dad_… him…? "Hold on Kid!" He turned to trace the boy's path, "I said wait!"

XXX

Even after the healing treatment she'd received from Yukina once they'd left the cave Sayuri was exhausted. The physical damage that had been done could be repaired, but the energy she'd expended would have to return naturally and as depleted as she was it was going to take a long time. Leaning back against one of the low rock walls that extended from the edges of the cave's mouth she struggled to keep her eyes open and watch the deepening shadows for signs of life. They had to have been sitting here for hours waiting, and there was nothing. If it weren't for her father's presence nearby, paired with the warning looks he'd been shooting her she would have gone back, but without any energy to use or any tricks to catch him off guard Sayuri was smart enough to know she was outmatched in this instance. Particularly since he wasn't the only one watching her; Botan and Kuwabara were huddled together a short distance away and flashing her some strange looks that were succeeding in making her incredibly uncomfortable. She felt oddly like she should be blushing for some reason.

X

"He didn't…?" Botan cast another glance over her shoulder at the girl seated against the wall behind her.

"Yep, as soon as he got up…"

"Oh… how romantic." She whispered, "He just stopped right in the middle of everything and kissed her? What did Sayuri do?" a low sigh escaped her, "I can't believe I missed it…"

X

With her attention firmly fixed on the odd looks she was being given from the pair in the corner Sayuri didn't notice him until he was only a step away. It was the crunch of a footstep on gravel that brought her attention to the figure standing over her. It really shouldn't have surprised her any longer that he could get that close without her noticing.

"Hey Sayuri…" Catching her hand as she started to stand he pulled her easily to her feet, "You doing alright?" The only answer he received was a hug that made his cracked ribs complain but he ignored it, just like they were both ignoring the squeal of excited voices behind them. She pulled away from him and Kazuki glanced down at her. She was still coated with blood, but he couldn't see any actual injuries anymore. "Looks like you're back to your old self…"

"Kazuki…" She was silenced by the little grin he flashed that sent the dizzy butterflies in her stomach swooping and bouncing around.

"Too bad you couldn't keep the ears though…" He teased.

"Kazuki…"

"No really, they were cute…"

X

Glancing passed his still excitedly chattering friends Yusuke watched the teenagers he could barely hear and shook his head.

"What is it Yusuke?" Botan asked, concerned eyes flicking over her shoulder for a second before coming back.

"It's just… weird. This morning I didn't even have a kid… now he's dating…"

"It could be worse Yusuke." He didn't exactly like it when Kurama's eyes got those underlying shadows in them, it usually didn't lead to anything good. "You could be the girl's father." The murmur hovered in the air almost threateningly and there was something almost menacing about the way the man started toward the pair, his steps slow and measured.

"What's his problem…?" Yusuke asked, glancing at the others as they all snickered and turned to watch the redhead go.

Kuwabara leaned over to answer quietly, "_He_ _is_ her dad…"

"Yeah and…?" That had been pretty obvious when you got a chance to look at them. Same hair and eyes, most of the girl's features were startlingly similar to her father's. A second later Yusuke's eyes widened as he watched the pair of teenagers start down the path with their hands linked and Kurama stalking after them, "HEY! Kazuki you might want to get away from…" He cringed visibly as the yelp of surprise echoed off the rock walls around them, "Never mind…"

XXX

Running his fingers through the red hair of the girl that had fallen asleep in his lap Kurama smiled softly to himself before looking up to find someone watching him. "Problems Yusuke…?"

"I'm just… adjusting." He murmured, watching Kurama's fingers continue to comb through the girl's hair. "I keep expecting this to be some kind of dream or something…"

"It can seem a bit surreal at times." Kurama agreed, looking down, "but you get used to it."

"Maybe _you_ do, but you had some warning before someone dropped a kid in your lap." Yusuke grumbled glancing across the train's interior to where Kazuki was napping against a window across from Yukina and Kuwabara. It gave him a twinge of something he couldn't identify somewhere inside to look at the boy, a mix of emotions located deep in his stomach that made him too uncomfortable to take the time to explore them. "I'm in way over my head here aren't I?"

"Oh Yusuke…" Shaking his head Kurama withdrew his fingers from Sayuri's hair and lifting his hand examined the long sharply tipped thorn held between his fingers, "You have no idea."

"What's that?" He asked before realizing where Kurama's hand had just been "Man… did you just rob your own kid?"

"Think of it as searching. She's used these against _me_ as well." Kurama looked up from the thorn and blinked at Yusuke's accusing and reproachful look. He'd forgotten over the years how effective that expression could be, "I have a stubborn fourteen year old daughter, who's entirely too smart and daring for her own good. I might as well be at war with the world when it comes to protecting her, and she's developed a terrible habit lately of aiding the enemy." He found himself explaining, and took a moment to examine the sharply tipped item pinched between his fingers in an attempt to discover its exact mode of functioning, "I may have lost a few battles recently, but I've no intention of being caught off guard again." He added almost absently before tucking the sticker back into its hiding place. Kurama looked up into the skeptical glare Yusuke was giving him and added "Though I have every intention of winning in the end."

"Yeah…?" There was a zealous light in his green eyes that Yusuke found a little unnerving, "And how do you do that?"

"That's a difficult question to answer. With Sayuri, keeping her busy is usually the best way to keep her out of trouble. I'll have to keep a closer eye on that in the future. And by picking the proper allies; in your case, Kazuki seems to have developed an attachment to Yukina, and I don't suggest placing too much trust in Hiei, I've suspected for some time now that he's a double agent."

"Jeez Kurama, you talk like it's some conspiracy." And from the look in his eye, the fox demon probably believed that it was. And when he saw Sayuri's eyes crack open a fraction of a second before a cloud of billowing smoke appeared Yusuke was starting to believe he might be right. In the banks of smoke there was a flurry of motion that he could hear but was unable to see, and considering this had been one of Kurama's moves he wasn't surprised when it began dissipating since he was sure Sayuri had been the one to conjure it. What did surprise him was finding Kazuki standing half way down the aisle and Sayuri standing beside him, Kurama's hand closed around her wrist to hold her in place.

"And where do you think you're going?"

For only a second Sayuri appeared frozen, startled that her attempted escape had been thwarted so easily, but it was quickly replaced by acceptance. "So just how grounded am I?" She asked quietly, sinking back into her seat before Kurama released his hold on her arm.

XXX

"Kazuki… are you sure about this? He almost killed you last time…" She followed him slowly up the stairs to the compound, an exasperated smile playing at the corner of her lips as he marched determinedly forward, his steps on the stone loud against the quiet rustling of the leaves overhead.

"Yeah, but that was last month." Kazuki called back reaching the top.

"Can't you two find something else to do that isn't beating on each other?" She paused on the top step, waiting until he'd stopped to turn back to her. When he did that little smile she was still so fond of was already on his face.

"Come on, what would be the fun in that?"

"I didn't realize broken bones and a concussion were you're idea of fun." She teased, half serious. Kazuki had a bad habit of coming away from these little father son battles not only on the losing end but with at least one broken bone. Yusuke on the other hand rarely had so much as a black eye, though Kazuki swore that was only because somehow all of the older man's injuries had miraculously healed by the time she saw him.

"Hey you never know, I may break that bastard's nose this time." He was smiling again.

"Kazuki… you shouldn't be proud of inflicting bodily harm on your father." She chided.

"Says the girl who paralyzed her father..." He fired back, with a satisfied smirk.

"I never said I was proud of it." She murmured, crossing her arms as she started past him.

X

"It would seem they've arrived." Kurama said, watching Yusuke try to hide the smile on his face as the pair paused at the top of the staircase. Yusuke was already standing when he pushed himself up from the edge of the porch where he'd been seated and brushed at the dust he might have gathered, "You realize eventually you're going to have to find a way to bond that doesn't involve bloodshed don't you?"

"Sure, but not today." Starting down the short staircase he'd been sitting at the top of Yusuke paused at the bottom to turn back to his friend, "Besides the kid's strong and all, but someone needs to toughen him up. Might as well be me right?"

"Yusuke… you nearly put him in a coma last time." Not that the idea had been entirely unpleasant for him. Kazuki in a comma was far less threatening to his daughter's well-being than a conscious one in his mind, but that didn't mean Kurama was hoping for it to happen.

"Yeah, but that was last month." Yusuke called back, purposefully striding off to meet his equally determined son.


End file.
